World Cup fans matched celebration with accidents and emergencies

WORLD CUP fever might have gripped the nation last summer, but it also caused heart attacks, alcohol-fuelled assaults, falls and dog bites.

In an analysis of A&E attendances related to the World Cup, 47 people were found to have sought treatment for a variety of conditions in University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) and 81% of these were within 24 hours of the match.

According to a report by John O’Donnell of UCHG Emergency Department, the majority of attendees were the victims of assaults or falls, and alcohol was a factor in more than half of all the cases.