Omagh couple having a ball at World Cup

WHILE this World Cup has been the subject of much negative publicity, Theodore McLaughlin from Omagh says it is a tournament like no other for many of the best reasons.

A veteran of four previous World Cups, he is having an absolute ball in Qatar with his wife Carmel… and is trying to stretch the experience out for as long as possible.

Speaking to the UH from outside the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium after the Wales v Iran game on Friday, he was trying to get tickets to the England v USA match due to kick off seven hours later. While Welsh fans in the vicinity were hugely disappointed with the 0-2 defeat, the former St Enda’s player said the atmosphere was “fantastic.”

It was Theo’s fourth game of the tournament having previously been at the group qualifiers between Holland v Senegal , Croatia v Morocco and Uruguay v South Korea.

Despite the lack of goals in some of the games, Theo says all of the fans are having a great time.

He explained, “The stadiums are very close together so it is easy to get to games. Everyone is getting on the best… I haven’t seen one incident of bad nature. It just feels like one big party. Theo added, “I was at world Cup finals in Mexico ‘86, Italia ‘90, USA ‘94 and Russia four years ago and this is the best one yet. The stadiums are all about half an hour away and the transport is excellent. There are a lot of Irish living here and we have met people from Mayo, Cork, Donegal and Dublin.

“Obviously, the weather is perfect too. My wife isn’t interested in football but she is now… she’s also loving this trip!”

Theodore said he is disappointed at the negative publicity this World Cup has received from some quarters regarding living conditions, travel and heat.

He stated, “I understand the issues that have been raised but there are other criticisms about the conditions here which are totally untrue. The stadiums are air-conditioned, the transport is first class, the stewards are very friendly and there are DJs, music and activities for kids on the route to the games.

“The fans from the African nations such as Senegal are particularly fantastic.

“They are so colourful and sing and dance from kick-off to the final whistle – a bit like how the Irish fans behaved at World Cups.

“It’s just great experience overall… I don’t want to go home!”