A Ugandan Arsenal fan and his family have paid a heavy price for a misguided wager after Manchester United ran out 1-0 winners over the Gunners at the weekend

Betting on football matches has long been an integral part of the game for supporters but Henry Dhabasani’s attempts to ‘make things a little more interesting’ have had dire consequences.

Dhabasani, of the Iganga district of Eastern Uganda, has lost his home as a result of Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday after a high-stakes wager with a neighbour.

Fellow local and United fan Rashid Yiga put up his car and wife as collateral in the deal, emerging the victor on the back of Robin van Persie’s 27th-minute header at Old Trafford.

Community members and leaders were present as the two men signed a written agreement in the build-up to the encounter between the Premier League leaders and stuttering title-holders.

Dhabasani, who has three wives and five children, was so distraught at full-time that he reportedly fainted.

And on Monday the misguided Gunner was forcibly removed from his home by United supporters along with his family, leaving him homeless.

If he needed another reason to despise Van Persie after the Dutchman’s defection to Old Trafford in the summer of 2012, he surely now has one.