Qatar 2022: Watch England Fans Who Went Looking for Beers & Ended Up in a Sheikh's Palace Chilling With a Lion

• Two England supporters have claimed that their quest for some beers in Qatar took an unimaginable twist on Saturday night
• The pair of fans said they were invited to see a collection of exotic animals including monkeys, birds and a lion at a sheikh's palace
• Meanwhile on Friday, FIFA and hosts Qatar banned beer sales at the eight World Cup stadiums before the start of the tournament

Two English fans at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, who went on a hunt for beer, were given a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The 'beer-thirsty' duo claimed they crossed paths with a sheikh in a bizarre twist to their hunt for the 'forbidden' product.

It was announced last week that host nation Qatar had decided to make a U-turn on its decision to serve alcohol at the World Cup, ruling that none would be sold at stadiums or its environs.

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The decision means alcoholic beverages can only be purchased at designated and licenced venues and at the FIFA fan festival, making for a more herculean effort to find beer than was expected.

The two supporters explained their quest to talkSPORT, as quoted by Express:

“We’ve just been having a good time, having a mooch and trying to get our bearings. The set-up’s spot on, we’ve been enjoying ourselves,” said the first fan.

The second then added that the night before, they had met one of the sheikh's sons who took them back the palace, where they were shown a lion and other animals.

The duo added that Qataris had made them feel very welcome in the country.

"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.”

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World Cup: Beer sales banned

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that on Friday, FIFA and Qatar banned beer sales at the eight World Cup stadiums, in a stunning policy U-turn just two days before the start of the tournament.

The world football body said the decision was taken following discussions with World Cup hosts Qatar, an Islamic state which severely restricts alcohol consumption.

There was no further explanation on the decision, which many have questioned considering the sponsorship role beer brand Budweiser is playing in the competition.