KICK-OFF: Portroe man Adrian Lewis with Qatar role has the World Cup at his feet

At least one Tipperary man will be taking part in this year’s World Cup soccer showcase in Qatar, which gets underway this weekend.

Portroe’s Adrian Lewis, has been on the ground in the emirate state for the past two years working for the global CEO consulting and advisory firm Teneo as a senior consultant in corporate communications / public relations.

“My role in Qatar is working as a media and content consultant for the World Cup ambassadors. The ambassadors I work with are mostly ex-footballers who promote the tournament, so my role is to help set up and manage any media interviews they do and oversee the social media content they post on their channels about the tournament.

"As a football fan, it’s been a pretty cool experience as I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with players that I grew up watching on the TV, such as Cafu, Xavi, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure and Tim Cahill,” said Adrian, son of John Joe and Geraldine.

Prior to his move to Qatar, Adrian had been working on the World Cup project remotely from Ireland for around 12 months.

It was never part of the plan to move to Qatar permanently but once the world opened up again after Covid, he was offered an opportunity to carry out his work on the ground, and as a big football fan who had been working from his bedroom for over a year, the opportunity to be involved in such a major event and experience a new part of the world was too tempting.

Among Adrian's roles has been attending some of the new stadium openings and he was also in the room when they made the final draw for the World Cup, which, he said, was quite exciting to be involved in.

Outside of work, he plays a weekly game of seven-a-side football with some friends.

“I jokingly invited Cafu, a two-time World Cup winner to come and play with us. I play with lots of people from Brazil who got the shock of their life when he actually showed up and played the full 90 minutes. Unsurprisingly, despite being 52, he was still pretty good. I don’t think he left with the same opinion of us, however,” he said.

Right now, Adrian is focused on surviving, what he described as “the crazy month ahead”.

However, during the tournament he will be out and about with the World Cup ambassadors as they participate and attend many of the events happening on the sidelines of the tournament.

“Between shifts, I’ll also be trying to attend as many matches as I can. I managed to buy two tickets to attend the final, which is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I’m really looking forward to,” he said.

With the tournament switching from its usual summer spectacle to a winter championship, Adrian said that it will be a World Cup of firsts in many ways.

“It is the first time it has been hosted in the Middle East, the first time in a Muslim country, the first winter World Cup, and first time it has been held in such a small country.

"It will be a different World Cup for sure, but I think those that travel here to support their team will enjoy it, and it will be an opportunity for people to learn more about the Arab culture and their way of life,” he said.

He has been to see the eight stadiums that will host the tournament and described them all as “really impressive”.

“For the fans watching at home, I think it will look great on TV, particularly Al Bayt Stadium which has been designed to look like a traditional Bedouin tent,” he said.

In terms of what to expect from the players who would normally be focused at this stage on their respective league positions,

Adrian said that while some have criticised the tournament being held mid-season, lots of ex-players had said that this will be a positive as the players will be arriving in peak fitness rather than at the end of a hard season.

“Hopefully we see some great games,” he said.

Adrian, a graduate in journalism from Robert Gordon University in Scotland, got his first break after graduating on an internship working on the digital news desk for the Racing Post in London, following which he got another three-month internship with Teneo in London. Those three months have turned into over seven years with the company.

“One of the benefits of working for a global company like Teneo is that I’ve now been able to work for them in London, Dublin and Doha, picking some great experience and working with lots of talented people along the way,” said Adrian.

So where will his next move take him?

“My contract ends in March 2023, so it’s likely I’ll move on to something new then, but it would be nice to stay working in sport if possible.

"My wife, Maria, and I are open to staying in Qatar until her contract ends in 2024, as we have enjoyed living here so far, but let’s see what happens,” he said.