STIFF in the News - World Cup Madness

I know I'm a little behind on this, but I felt these were still worth sharing. Besides the insane headbutting and general soccer hooligan shenanigans, here are some other weird things that confirm my belief that soccer can make otherwise sane people flippin' crazy. Here you have it, more STIFF in the News:

Man pulls TV from house fire to watch soccer
Thursday June 29, 2006

BEIJING (Reuters)
A Beijing soccer fan refused to let the small matter of his house burning down disturb his enjoyment of Tuesday's World Cup match between France and Spain.

A fire broke out in a hutong in the center of the Chinese capital at 3am local time Wednesday - kickoff time in Hanover -- and gutted the traditional courtyard dwelling, the Beijing Daily Messenger reported.

"When the neighbors shouted 'fire!', I took my little baby and ran out in my nightclothes," the man's wife told the paper.

"My husband paid no attention to the danger, just grabbed the television and put it under his arm.

"After getting out of the house, he then set about finding an electric socket to plug in and continue watching his game."

That's a man with priority issues. Though I'm pretty sure I know someone who would do the same thing if there was a house fire during the season finale of 24.

The anti-social timing of the matches broadcast from Germany, which is six hours behind China, has forced some Chinese fans to go to great lengths to follow the action.

One man quit his job in Beijing to return to his hometown Chongqing so he could watch the whole tournament uninterrupted.

State news agency Xinhua reported that the 23-year-old's boss at the IT company had offered him a pay rise, but he turned it down flat, saying the World Cup was more important than his job.

At 23, you can find another job.

The Guangzhou Daily reported that local police were forced to release a thief arrested for stealing a mobile phone when the victim refused to press charges because he did not want to miss the start of a match.

Although there are also many female World Cup fans in China, one man in the southeastern city had to sign a contract with his wife agreeing to do all the housework during the month of the finals so he could watch the matches at night.

Are you kidding?!

Another from Putian, Fujian province, took a less diplomatic approach, Xinhua reported.

When his cheers during the Argentina-Ivory Coast match woke his wife and she switched off the television, he locked her in their bedroom and settled back down to watch the game ignoring her loud protests.

She's lucky she he didn't throw the remote at her.

Argentina tax man hits soccer fan where it hurts
Thursday June 29, 2006

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters)
Argentine tax officials hit a tax cheat where it hurts most on Wednesday, confiscating the man's plasma TV two days before Argentina plays Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals.

I want to see them try that shit here in the States.

It was the latest move in a "shock" campaign by Santiago Montoya, the top tax man in Buenos Aires province, the country's biggest, to curb rampant tax evasion in Argentina.

Tax officials carted off the new big-screen television from a man who owes some 6,100 pesos ($2,000) in back taxes.

"We've taken the plasma as a guarantee against the debt he owes," said Juan Manuel Prada, a provincial tax official.

$100 says even if he did pay those back taxes, his TV wouldn't be returned in the same condition.

Officials say tax evasion in Buenos Aires province costs the government some $1 billion in lost revenue each year.

Montoya's highly publicized attempts to crack down on tax delinquents have included mailing letters to the spouses of evaders and leaving messages on people's cell phones.

So collection of back taxes then becomes an issue of domestic violence. Nicely done, Argentina!