Two England fans at the World Cup in Qatar claim they ended up at a sheikh's palace while on a hunt for beer.
The pair, who could be seen wearing shirts bearing the badges of both Everton and the national team, shared their unlikely adventures at the tournament this weekend in a brand new viral clip.
Praising the "set up" at the fan park in Qatar while speaking to TalkSport, one of the two supporters named John revealed a chance meeting with royalty the night before while searching for something to drink.
Describing how they were purportedly taken to see the sheikh's son's exotic animal collection, said: “Last night we met one of the Sheikh’s sons and he took us back to the palace. He showed us that he had lions and everything. They’ve (Qatar residents) made us so welcome.
The younger of the two men then gave his recollection of the evening, saying: “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 showed us his monkeys, his exotic birds. It was nuts.”
The unverified claims appeared to be supported by a video posted later on Twitter, which showed one of the men smiling while playing with a young lion wearing a collar.
Football fans descending on Qatar for the first week of the tournament have given mixed opinions of their experiences so far, with some impressed at the hospitality they have received while others have hit out the makeshift appearance of some of the 'tent village' accommodation.
Footage shared on social media shows one fan entering a basic tent containing two single beds and modest surroundings in comparison to the mod-cons, air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms which have been advertised elsewhere.
Authorities in Qatar made a last-minute decision not to sell any booze at the eight World Cup venues just 48 hours before the opening game between the host nation and Ecuador.
Riot police were also called in to tackle crowd problems at a World Cup fan zone in Doha on Sunday night just as the tournament kicked off.
Tens of thousands of fans pushed and shoved against police lines to enter a secure area at the fan festival where Qatar's 2-0 defeat to Ecuador was being shown live on giant screens.
Helmeted cops armed with batons and shields stood guard at the entrance and pushing and shoving broke out as crushed fans pleaded to enter the zone.
Hatem El-Berarri, an Iraqi who said he was working in neighboring Dubai said panic broke out amid chaotic scenes. He said: “It’s very risky. People could die. Old people, women, they cannot handle crowds like this."
