The World Cup is one of the most awaited and heartwarming events for enthusiasts and simple fans who want to enjoy as many matches as they want to see in society.

True fans will not only follow their favorite team. However, following all matches with passion can also be harmful. And in fact there are dozens of people who suffer from the so-called “World Cup Syndrome”. Said like that, it almost seems like a joke, but it’s all true.

A Chinese newspaper reported that a special clinic has been set up at Meizhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, located in the eastern province of Guangdong, to treat patients suffering from “World Cup Syndrome”. Several dozen fans have sought medical attention since the start of the tournament in Qatar.

Director Zhang Yanzhong confirmed this in an interview with China Daily: “Most of the patients are male and all of them are football fans, staying up late to watch all the World Cup matches in Qatar.”

In China, the time difference is no small problem for those who love football. Because the fans are forced to stay awake until the late hours to watch “live” matches of “Qatar 2022”. And to follow each game they have chosen to sleep very little, or have spent a night without sleep at all.

This was probably the case for many in China, especially in the early days of the World Cup, when four matches were played one after the other in 24 hours. In the long run, many of the patients who had health problems ended up in the clinic, where insomnia turned out to be the problem.

Chinese doctors have found an increase in cases of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems, which they have linked to the lifestyle driven by Chinese fans to follow every moment of the World Cup. It is not only the ‘fault’ of the time zone, because emotions must also be considered.

High-level matches are not easy to watch, especially for those who hope that Messi or Ronaldo will win the one title they lack, or perhaps support Brazil who have not won since 2002 (supporting other national teams than the country of themselves, where they are of a high level).

Dr. Zhang Yanzhong said that he and his staff were already prepared because something similar had already happened in 2018, on the occasion of the World Cup in Russia.

For this reason, at that time a clinic was set up, in which special attention was paid to these supporters. Knowing this, Dr. Yanzhong and his staff prepared.

At the moment, there are about 100 patients who have had problems due to the “World Cup syndrome”, but considering that the hot phase has not yet arrived, in China, the number of people affected by this syndrome is expected to increase, especially in Meizhou, the known in China as one of the “football cities”.

Another doctor spoke to China Daily about the phenomenon: “All the doctors in the special clinic play in the hospital’s football team and can better understand the fans’ emotions. The level of Chinese football is not very high, but the country has fans.” “For some, this sport has become a syndrome.”