Qatar Emir laughs with UK PM over 2006 football mishap at UN

After Qatar's Emir Sheikh Al Thani told Johnson he's 'a very good rugby player', the British premier quipped he 'was meant to be playing football'.
1 min read
22 September, 2021
The British Prime Minister shared a laugh with Qatar's Emir [Getty]

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared a laugh over a self-deprecating joke on Tuesday. 

Footage of a meeting of the two leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session in New York was captured by ITN and published by Yahoo News.

During the meeting, Sheikh Al Thani told Johnson: "I saw some videos… you're a very good rugby player".

In an apparent reference to a mishap during Soccer Aid back in 2006, the British premier quipped: "I was meant to be playing football".

During the charity football game, Johnson employed what the BBC at the time called a "rugby-style tackle" to knock down former German international Maurizio Gaudino.

After Johnson's reply, Sheikh Al Thani and others attending the meeting burst out in laughter.

They got onto the subject of sport after Britain's premier compared the push to stop the devastation of climate change with a "final drive to the line" in rugby.

According to Qatar News Agency, other topics raised in the meeting included Afghanistan, with Johnson expressing gratitude for Qatar's efforts on peace negotiations there and in helping get UK citizens out following the Taliban's lightning takeover of the country.