A Swindon Town fan who is currently at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar has boldly stated that he is staying put until England win the trophy.
Sam Skeates, 34 has been in Qatar since Friday, November 25, and has watched England take on the United States as well as rivals Wales.
“The World Cup has been amazing so far and with the stadiums so close together I have managed to watch a game at all eight grounds.”
“I have been to watch 14 games so far and I even managed to go to four games in just one day last Sunday!”
When asked about England’s chances to finally add to their famous World Cup win of 1966, Sam was positive in his response.
“I’m in Qatar until England win the World Cup hopefully,” he stated.
“I honestly think it will come down to the quarter-final because if we can win that, when it looks like it will be France or Argentina, then why can’t we win the World Cup?”
When at home, Sam has worked at Swindon Town as part of the security response team for over 10 years and is a staunch supporter of the club.
Sam’s unbridled support for the Robins was actually noted on national television as a Town flag could be seen behind Harry Maguire for a few seconds.
“I’ve had this flag for about three years now after previously having one with my brother Josh in Russia for the 2018 World Cup,” explained Sam.
“Now I take my kids home and away to Swindon Town games and all England home games, I got this one done to share with them.”
Sam has two sons, Tiyler and Junior, and both share his passion for the beautiful game.
“My sons love football and are always looking out for our flag, me and their grandad Paul, who I travel to all the England away games with.”
While at the Wales match, Sam was lucky enough to meet a couple of the victorious English players after the game as Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount stopped by to say hello.
“Mason was awesome to meet, and he even took the time out to chat and recorded a video message for me to send to my son,” he said.
The stardom did not finish there though as Sam also managed to meet Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham after the game too, with the 19-year-old impressing so far in Qatar.
“Bellingham is my favourite England player and was somebody I was really hoping to meet,” he explained.
“He was really nice, but I saw him just as he was making his way back towards the tunnel, so he didn’t have as much time to spend with me, but he still took the time out for a picture with me.”
The 2022 edition of the World Cup is of course being held in Qatar and because of that, it is taking place in Winter to cope with the severe heat.
Despite the environmental conditions, Sam informed that he has yet to find it an issue while being out in the Middle Eastern country.
“The weather has been perfect, and you don’t notice it so much in the stadiums anyway,” he remarked.
“You do notice the heat when walking to or from the stadiums and there is a lot of walking involved to reach the stadiums.”
Sam also noted at how this year’s edition of the tournament has been arranged so far.
“It is all very well organised with people directing you to and from the stadiums,” he added.
“They have put on loads of shuttle buses which are fantastically organised which take you via the stadiums and even directly from our accommodation.”
England will take on Senegal in the Round of 16 at 7pm (GMT) on Sunday, December 4.
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