One of the fiercest supporters of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr football club died of a heart attack after watching his team play against Al-Etihad over the weekend.
Shortly after Sultan Mofreh Al Beshri watched the first half of the football game, he left the stadium and asked paramedics on the scene to take him to a hospital.
In a statement to Rotana Khalijiya's Ya Hala program, Al Beshri's brother accused the medics of not taking the football fan seriously when he approached them for help.
"They told him they can't take him to a hospital and didn't give him any medical assistance. He then walked out of the stadium to get some fresh air and sat there for a few minutes. Another football fan approached him and a few others later drove him home and called us," the man said.
"While they were driving him over to the house, he kept asking them to slow down, telling them he felt like he was dying. Just moments after they got home, we tried to get him to the closest hospital but he collapsed and lost consciousness," he added.
Al Beshri's brothers drove him to a nearby private medical center where emergency room personnel tried to revive him but he was unfortunately pronounced dead shortly after. A few relatives of the family initially gave statements to press claiming the young man suffered a heart attack because he was upset that Al-Nassr was losing the game against Al-Etihad.
However, the deceased's brother refuted these claims and stressed that Al Beshri had complained of feeling sick before he attended the match but still went because he never missed a single game featuring his favorite team.
"My brother was a die-hard Al-Nassr club fan but he wasn't ever extreme in his cheering," he explained.
The young man's tragic passing struck a note with Saudis on Twitter because they felt his death could've been prevented.
A hashtag featuring Al Beshri's name saw thousands mourn his death. Many tweeted through it sending their condolences to his family and sharing prayers for his loved ones. Others used the trending hashtag to speculate whether his emotions over the game indirectly led to the fatal heart attack. A few also warned extreme football fans of taking things too seriously when it comes to cheering on their favorite teams.
The president of Al-Nassr football club, Saud bin Mohammed Al Soualem, sent his condolences and dedicated the profits of the club's next game to Al Beshri's family.