Body of Argentina fan who jumped into river, found

The body of Dinu Alex (30), an Argentina football fan who went missing after his team’s loss against Croatia in a group stage match in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, was on Sunday retrieved from Meenachil river in Kottayam district.

Dinu was last seen at his home by members of his family in the early hours of Friday as he was watching Argentina take on Croatia in their second match of the tournament.

A note was recovered from his bedroom early on Friday that read – “I have nothing more to see in this world. I’m leaving for the depths of death”. 

Argentina’s 0-3 loss to Croatia followed an underwhelming draw in the team’s first match against Iceland. 

Other notes, all revealing Dinu’s immense love for the South American team and its iconic player Lionel Messi, were also recovered from his home. Following a preliminary probe by the police and a search involving a dog squad, the Fire and Rescue Services personnel had been undertaking a search in and around the Meenachil river which was in spate, near Dinu’s home in Arumanoor.

Reports quoted his friends as saying that Dinu, employed in a private company in Kottayam, was also disappointed after Argentina’s draw with Iceland.

He had also bought a Messi jersey for the tournament. Kerala has seen fan frenzy peaking around the World Cup, especially among the supporters of Argentina and Brazil, the two most popular teams in the state.