A 31-year-old football fan in Mbembesi, Matabeleland North Province was allegedly hacked to death with a machete by a fellow villager during a dispute over an English Premier Soccer League played last Saturday.

Vukile Nkomo was reportedly murdered after he attempted to stop an argument between his killer and his brother, Mkhululi Nkomo, over Manchester United’s performance that resulted in a 4-0 loss to Brentford.

The incident occurred in rural Mbembesi Village on 13 August after Manchester United’s loss, at around 10 PM.

The accused, Sthembelani Tshuma, who is facing a murder charge is on the run. He is wanted by the police for questioning over the incident.

The informant, a 35-year-old cousin of the deceased reported the assault to Mbembesi Police Station.

It is alleged that Vukile was watching football at Fingo Bottle Store with his brother Mkhululi, the informant, the accused and other patrons.

After the match, a misunderstanding arose between the accused and Mkhululi over the outcome of the match.

Vukile and his cousin intervened so as to calm the tension between the two.

This angered the accused who then rushed home to collect his machete.

Oh his way back, Tshuma used a footpath which he knew his rival often used on his way home.

It is alleged that along the way, the informant and the deceased encountered the accused person carrying the machete which he used to strike the deceased several times. He accused Vulike of siding with his brother, Mkhululi.

The informant rushed to the shopping centre to alert others and when they returned to the scene, they found the now-deceased in a pool of blood.

The informant informed Mbembesi Police Station and officers were deployed to attend to the crime scene.

Police are appealing to the public for information that might lead to his arrest.

Football is by far Zimbabwe’s most popular sport, with the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League being shown mostly in bars all across the country.

Zimbabwe has its own league, the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League but it is not as popular as European football leagues.

-The Sunday News