Two days after it was decided by Qatar to ban beer sales in the stadiums during the ongoing FIFA World Cup, two England fans at the World Cup in Qatar ended up at a sheik's palace while on a hunt for beer. In a video going viral on the internet, two fans can be seen wearing shirts bearing the badges of both Everton and the national team.
"Last night we met one of the sheikh's sons and he took us back to the palace and he showed us he had lions and everything," says one of the fans, named John, in an interview with TalkSport.
"They've made us so welcome. And look around you: it doesn't get any better than this."
Another fan, wearing an England shirt emblazoned with an Everton FC logo, tells the story of how they were picked up by the "sheikh's" son.
"Basically we were on a bit of a hunt for some beers and he was like, 'we sort beers we sort beers'. So we jumped into the back of his Toyota Land Cruiser and ended up at a big palace and we were in the back and he showed us his monkeys, his exotic birds, it was nuts."
2022 FIFA World Cup has been mired in controversies due to host Qatar's 'strict' nature of laws which put the fans and players at serious risk of landing in jail. Millions of fans from 31 nations are in Qatar to watch the tournament. However, it is highly likely that the fans visiting the regressive Islamic country will get into trouble if they won't 'obey the law'.
Since Qatar is a Muslim nation, the sale of alcohol is strictly controlled over there. However, the organizers had assured that it will be available in the match venues and in fan zones.