Bangladesh university closes after students fight over watching World Cup matches

Bangladesh university shut over World Cup dispute

DHAKA, Bangladesh — A top public university in Bangladesh closed indefinitely after students clashed over whether to cancel classes to watch the World Cup.

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology asked students to leave dormitories by Sunday to calm the situation, said Habibur Rahman, pro-vice chancellor of the university in the capital.

The decision was made late Saturday after at least five students were injured in violence between two groups of students.

One group demanded an early summer vacation so they could watch football on television without any tension. They asked other students not to attend classes or take tests and locked the university’s main gate, prompting clashes with senior students who wanted classes to continue.

No date has been set for when the university will reopen.

Earlier this month, hundreds of angry football fans smashed vehicles in Dhaka after power outages interrupted live TV broadcasts of a World Cup match between Argentina and Nigeria.

Football is the most popular sport in Bangladesh even though the South Asian nation has never qualified for any major international tournament.