ARCHIVED - World Cup Wales fans ditch Qatar for Tenerife
Football fans have flocked to Spain in their droves to watch the World Cup matches
Around 2,500 football fans have descended on Tenerife to watch Wales play in the World Cup, forgoing the expense of a trip to Qatar and the restrictions that have been placed on fans there.
Bethany Evans, from Nelson in Caerphilly county, posted the idea of travelling to Spain on social media as soon as Wales qualified for the World Cup “as a bit of a joke”, and it snowballed from there.
The Wales fan admitted to feeling “a bit gutted” not to be in Qatar when the tournament began earlier this week, but as more and more British tourists arrived on the Spanish Island, she is now having the time of her life.
“Seeing the photos and the videos (from Qatar) it does look incredible out there but I’m literally having the best time here.
“Seeing my idea come to fruition like this it beats absolutely everything.
“And that bar on Monday night, if you closed your eyes when we were singing the national anthem it was like you were in that game, and that was good enough for me.”
County Antrim native Kelly Spiers turned her two bars in Playa de ls Americas into fan zones and she was overwhelmed by the number of Welsh fans who turned out to her pubs to watch Wales play the USA.
“They’ve been really good fun, no problems with them whatsoever,” she said.
“And when they scored the penalty it was just wow, it was unbelievable, it was really, really emotional.
“They were all singing and dancing and celebrating, and it’s just amazing. It’s epic.”
Aside from the cost associated with travelling to Qatar, Ms Spiers believes many fans chose Tenerife because they didn’t feel comfortable with some of the rules and regulations.
“And they would just rather go somewhere that they feel that they can relax and be themselves.”
Image: @bethanyevans_ / Twitter
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