An interview with some England fans who ended up back at a Sheikh’s palace while searching for beer in Qatar has gone viral.
As unbelievable as it sounds, they’re actually telling the truth – and there’s video footage to prove it.
With the 2022 World Cup having now officially kicked-off, and Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad set to face Iran for their first match in the group stage at 1pm today, England fans out in Qatar have been soaking up the atmosphere that comes along with a football’s flagship tournament, and have been trying to enjoy themselves as much as possible.
But, unlike in the majority of World Cups in the past, it’s a much more sober affair for fans this time round, as Qatar’s strict laws on alcohol mean that beer has officially been prohibited by the country in and around stadiums.
It’s thought that fans hoping to enjoy a drink before heading to the match, or to celebrate successes afterwards, will have to get a little more creative in their search for beer.
And for a couple of England fans, that search took them all the way to a Qatari Sheikh’s palace.
In an interview with talkSPORT – which is currently going viral on social media – the excited Scouse duo explained that they’ve just been “having a good time” and “enjoying ourselves” since landing in Doha, but that things took a bit an unexpected turn when they began exploring the streets of the Qatar capital city in the search for a drink.
“We met one of the Sheikh’s sons & he took us back to the palace!” 😮
“We were on the hunt for beers and we ended up at a big palace, we saw his monkeys & exotic birds!” 🐒
“We’ve just been having a good time, having a mooch, and trying to get our bearings,” one of the fans explained, adding that the “set-up’s spot on”.
His mate Joe then chimed in to admit that they met one of the Sheikh’s sons last night and he “took us back to the palace and showed us he had lions and everything”, before adding that the royalty and Qatar locals have made them “feel so welcome”.
The other lad then divulged even further about how they ended up back at the palace, and described the whole experiences as “nuts”.
“Basically we were on a bit of a hunt for some beers and he was like ‘yeah, we sort beers, we sort beers’, so we jumped into the back of his Toyota Landcruiser, ended up at a big palace,” he explained.
“He showed us his monkeys, his exotic birds – it was nuts.”
With the interview having now gone viral on social media, racking up millions of views and thousands of interactions, understandably, many people are a bit skeptical about the validity of the story and whether or not the two fans were actually telling the truth.
Popular Twitter account Didn’t Happen of the Year Awards even admitted in response to the video that it’s “not often I’m speechless like this.”
But, in what is an absolute turn up for the books after someone went in search of proof the chain of events is real, video footage from the visit to the palace shared on the fans’ Snapchat has been recovered and made its way onto social media.
The Three Lions’ first game against Iran kicks-off at 1pm GMT, with their second group game against the USA taking place on 25 November, and the final clash of the group stage coming against Wales on 29 November.
Featured Image – talkSPORT (via Twitter)
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Everton are reportedly already hoping to sign Jack Grealish from Manchester City permanently
Danny Jones
Everton FC are reportedly already considering signing Jack Grealish on a permanent deal after an impressive start to his spell on loan from Manchester City.
The former Aston Villa talisman has struggled to remain in the starting XI under Pep Guardiola since joining the club in 2021, but since arriving on Merseyside, he’s already been a difference-maker in every match for the Toffees thus far.
Grealish has not only registered four assists in just two starts for Everton but also won the very first player of the month award in the Premier League this season for his contributions.
Safe to say he’s fast made a big impact over in Liverpool – hence why it is now thought that manager David Moyes wants to make his transfer permanent.
Becoming just the 10th Toffee to ever win the accolade, the Birmingham-born creator is now thought to be the primary transfer target, despite the summer window having only recently closed.
He writes that despite the deal between Everton and Man City already including a £50 million option to buy next summer, that number is “not fixed and is more a consequence of accounting than a set price.”
The England international still has two years on his contract in the blue half of Manchester, but the previous valuation (which is half the amount City paid for him in a then record fee for a British player), so it is believed that he could be signed for an even better cut-price offer as his deal runs down.
Put it this way, it looks like the supporters would do just about anything to keep him at the Hill Dickinson.
Jack Grealish giving his shirt to an Everton fan after their brilliant win away at Wolves today.
Bascombe goes on to explain, however, that his salary considerations could be a significant obstacle. Grealish is estimated to be earning approximately £12m a year, which is almost certainly too rich for Everton’s blood.
Taking that into account, it’d be a case of whether or not the Brummy forward would be willing to accept a much lower wage to depart the Etihad Stadium for Everton long-term; alternatively, waiting for him to become a free agent in a few transfer windows’ time would also be an option.
What about you, Blues: would you like to see Jack Grealish stay and fight for his place under Guardiola, or would you understand/support him making his Everton permanent?
Interestingly, there could be yet more shuffling of the pack in the middle of the park for Pep, as a forgotten man is apparently going to be given another chance to revive his City career…
Kalvin Phillips is reportedly set to be reintegrated into the Manchester City squad
Danny Jones
Long-exiled Manchester City player Kalvin Phillips is reportedly on the verge of being reintegrated into Pep Guardiola’s squad this season.
The ex-Leeds United star, who signed for the Blues back in 2022, has still only made just 16 appearances for the club, but could now be eyeing up a potential renaissance.
Man City have made plenty of signings this year, but with a number of outgoings and several injuries in key positions, it looks like there could be an avenue for the one-time England international to fight his way back into the team.
As per Telegraph Sport‘s Mike McGrath, Kalvin Phillips is set to be reintroduced to City’s 25-man Premier League selection; the question is, can he make it into a first-team XI?
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Kalvin Phillips has chance to resurrect career at the Etihad Stadium after failed loan spells with Ipswich and West Ham
According to McGrath, Phillips will be “given a chance to resurrect his career at the Etihad Stadium” with the meat and potatoes of the 2025/26 campaign still yet to get properly underway.
Now 29, the Yorkshireman is well and truly within the crucial ‘prime’ years as an athlete, and after such an extended period on the sidelines, he’ll be more motivated than anyone to get his career back on track.
The central defensive midfielder – who was formerly considered a key cog in the middle of the park for Leeds – has spent two loan spells away from the Etihad, but neither really worked out for the undeniably talented footballer.
Having joined West Ham for the latter portion of the 23/24 term and spending the last 12 months on loan at struggling Ipswich Town, his time at both clubs was pretty forgettable, punctuated by little more than a couple of unfortunate red cards and more time on the bench.
Speaking to Sky Sports fairly recently, he confessed that the last couple of years have been very difficult and was visibly emotional discussing his struggles since moving to Man City.
It’s also worth noting that Guardiola himself has admitted to feeling “so bad” for Kalvin Phillips’ situation – perhaps why he now looks like he could be given a second chance.
CDM-wise, Rodri and Nico González are considered the go-to options, but Stockport-born Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovačić have also been used in the role.
Once again, although Man City face somewhat of an injury crisis ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend, any prolonged absences could at least see an opportunity arise for the forgotten man.
What do you make of Kalvin Phillips’ chances of being restored to the Manchester City squad and maybe even putting himself back into national team contention ahead of the World Cup?
Emily Sergeant -
21st November 2022 
