OMEN
09-19-2007, 08:02 AM
TIRANA - An Albanian fishmonger set fire to his van in a burst of anger after the national soccer team lost to the visiting Dutch side, and firefighters failed to extinguish the blaze because someone had stolen their water.
Vilson Alushi had vowed to burn his fish-delivery van if Albania failed to win a point against the Netherlands on Wednesday. Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy put paid to his hopes with a goal in injury time to end the game 1-0.
Alushi duly doused his car with gasoline in the centre of the southern town of Delvine and watched indifferently as his friends alerted the firefighters, newspapers reported.
They arrived promptly on the scene and unreeled the hose, only to find it was dry. It seems that residents living near the fire station had drained the tank to help them cope with Albania's chronic water shortage.
Reuters
Vilson Alushi had vowed to burn his fish-delivery van if Albania failed to win a point against the Netherlands on Wednesday. Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy put paid to his hopes with a goal in injury time to end the game 1-0.
Alushi duly doused his car with gasoline in the centre of the southern town of Delvine and watched indifferently as his friends alerted the firefighters, newspapers reported.
They arrived promptly on the scene and unreeled the hose, only to find it was dry. It seems that residents living near the fire station had drained the tank to help them cope with Albania's chronic water shortage.
Reuters