Arsenal's defender Ben White (R) vies with Manchester United's English striker Marcus Rashford (L) during their English Premier League football match at the Emirates Stadium in London, UK on September 3, 2023. PHOTO | AFP

The police in Sheema town in western Uganda are now hunting for the 22-year-old suspect accused of murdering the Arsenal fan following a disagreement over the weekend English Premier League bout that sparked cheers and outrage in equal measure.

As the video assistant referees (VAR) scrambled to prove Alejandro Garnacho’s offside goal at Emirates Stadium in London, UK on Sunday, a suspected murder linked to the match was about to happen in Western Uganda.

Some 10,000 kilometres away from the Emirates, in Sheema township, an Arsenal fan was allegedly knifed to death by a Manchester United fanatic moments after Arsenal’s 3-1 victory.

“Jackson Aineruhanga was stabbed to death moments after the match,” Bushenyi Police spokesperson Marcial Tumusiime said.

“It is alleged that on Sunday evening, Aineruhanga had a misunderstanding with the suspect in a video hall while watching the football match between Manchester United and Arsenal,” police have said.

The two football fanatics’ argument started after Man United Alejandro Garnacho’s late goal was ruled out for offside by the VAR.

“The two later went to one of the bars but they were ejected because they were quarrelling. This forced the suspect to run after the victim whom he stabbed in the chest with a sharp object. The victim bled to death after the attack,” Tumusiime added.

“The suspect’s open shoes and a piece of stick with blood stains were recovered from the scene. Aineruhanga’s body was later taken to Kabwohe Health Centre IV for postmortem,” the police spokesperson said.