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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Andy Lines

Baby is 'unluckiest England fan' as Qatar officials won't let him into game with parents

This must be the unluckiest England fan in the world.

Elliott Berridge is just six months old and his mum and dad are going to the match tonight.

They wanted to take their son but were told he needed his own ticket for the game against Senegal.

And the authorities have also insisted he needed his own special Hayya card - which is a strict requirement in Qatar.

Dad David said: “It’s a real shame - it would have been great to have taken Elliott.

“But I can’t believe they wanted him to have his own ticket.

“We would have taken him in a baby sling - he didn’t need his own seat. He really loves wearing his England kit.”

David, 40 and wife Holly, 33, are from Marlow, Bucks, but now live in Qatar. Elliott will be looked after by friends while his parents attend the match.

Today the Three Lions will be roared on by at least 8,000 fans in the stadium and millions more at home as they take on the African Cup of Nations holders for the first time ever.

Thousands more tickets have been released for the match in the past 48 hours, leading to an online frenzy.

Expats in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have snapped up many.

England’s support in Doha is likely to outnumber the Senegalese fanbase by at least 10 to one.

At stake is a last eight place against either France or Poland. And many England fans are confident about the side’s chances.

Martin Thompson, 57, a quantity surveyor from Solihull, West Mids, said: “There’s a growing feeling among the fans here that we can go all the way.

“We can clearly beat Senegal and then we’re into the final eight and who knows what will happen.

"We were semi-finalists in Russia, losing finalists at the Euros last year. We can go one better. Football really might be coming home.”

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