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.
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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.
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“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”.
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“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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Wrexham AFC announce Manchester United friendly with hilarious Sir Alex Ferguson video
Danny Jones
Manchester United confirmed that they would be playing Wrexham AFC as part of their US tour on Tuesday, but the Welsh club’s Hollywood owners had a much better way of announcing the pre-season friendly.
While the Red Devils put out a simple statement revealing that one of their games would come against the resurgent Red Dragons, Wrexham‘s celebrity owners in Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney once again decided to put their acting to good use and inform their own fans of the upcoming match.
So, what’s the best way for a National League club to announce a massive fixture with one of the biggest sporting franchises in the world? Well, ideal scenario: getting a United legend and perhaps the greatest football manager of all time to help you do it would have quite the impact. Surely not?…
Yes, somehow, Rob and Ryan managed to convince Sir Alex Ferguson to be in the video and while they’re the ones known for their funny bones, it’s the gaffer who shines as the star of the show.
50% Dragon. 50% Devil. 100% Red. Wrexham play @ManUtd in San Diego, July 25th!
Manchester United vs Wrexham AFC, announced by the Sir Alex Ferguson. What a time to be alive.
So good. We almost thought we were staring at a still image at one point and the gag was going to be along the lines of him not even being there while they wonder, ‘is he frozen’?, but the punchline was the perfect level of dry for Scotsman who is literally known for his infamous ‘hairdryer’.
Now, we’ve seen plenty of parodies and funny videos since the acting, writing and comedy-producing duo first bought the club back in November 2020, but I think it’s fair to say we never expected to see Sir Alex in a sketch.
Obviously, we’ve seen countless commercial ads involving United down the year working — including that time the players met Deadpool himself (remember that?) — but we can’t remember the legendary coach ever getting involved with these kinds of shenanigans before.
Suppose retirement has given him the free time to focus on the things he enjoys: i.e. more United.
As detailed in the video and United’s tour teaser at the start of the week, the two teams will be playing in a pre-season friendly at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on July 25 later this year.
Not only will there be plenty of American Reds piling through the doors this summer, but there’s also sure to be a fair few transatlantic Wrexham supporters too, as the story of the club’s takeover has captured the attention of millions, especially after their hugely popular documentary series.
To make things even cooler, it isn’t the only connection between the Devils and the Dragons we’ve seen of late either, as former United keeper and Premier League veteran Ben Foster came out of retirement to sign for Wrexham 18 years on from his previous loan spell. What a coup
Reynolds even popped up in his latest matchday vlog. Wrexham really is one of the strangest sporting stories we’ve witnessed in quite some time.
The former United man decided to come out of retirement after Ryan Reynolds ‘slid into his DMs’. 😅🧤https://t.co/YoW3J4kocI
I’m A Celebrity line-up announced for brand new all-star series in South Africa
Daisy Jackson
The all-star line-up for I’m A Celebrity… South Africa has been announced, with some massive Manchester celebs taking part.
The brand new show is due to air in April and will see some of the series’ most memorable campmates heading to a new setting in South Africa.
Names involved include Bolton-born boxing legend Amir Khan, Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan, and Happy Mondays legend Shaun Ryder.
And that’s just part of the first wave of celebrity contestants – more famous faces will take part in I’m A Celebrity… South Africa, entering the camp as the series goes on.
The new series will ‘push them to their limits and test them like never before’, ITV has said, promising bigger and tougher challenges and an even harsher environment.
Also taking part from the launch episode will be Diversity star Jordan Banjo, TV presenter Carol Vorderman, Olympian Fatima Whitbread, former royal butler Paul Burrell, ex-England cricketer Phil Tufnell, and supermodel Janice Dickinson.
ITV said: “Whilst nodding back to the Australian jungle, I’m A Celebrity…South Africa is a uniquely different series so viewers can look forward to lots of unexpected twists and turns.”