sports
Welsh YouTuber Swaps Shirts with New Zealand Player at World Cup Match
A Welsh content creator met New Zealand player Kosta Barbarouses at a World Cup match in Los Angeles after years of online contact. The two exchanged shirts following the Iran versus New Zealand game.
bbc.co.ukAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
A Welsh content creator met and exchanged shirts with New Zealand player Kosta Barbarouses during a World Cup match in Los Angeles. The creator said Barbarouses had followed his YouTube channel for about ten years. He obtained tickets through messages with the player after Wales failed to qualify for the tournament.
The creator stated that Barbarouses offered tickets if Wales qualified. When qualification did not occur, the player assumed the creator would not attend. The creator replied that he would still travel. He brought a replica Wales shirt from the 1990s and gave it to Barbarouses.
After the match, Barbarouses retrieved his own shirt from the changing rooms and swapped it with the creator. The creator noted that Barbarouses now owns a Wales Umbro shirt from the 1990s.
The match featured Iran against New Zealand.
Background issues included visa problems for some Iran staff members and a last-minute training camp move to Mexico. A large group of Iranians gathered near the stadium with food, music, and big-screen viewing. Inside the 70,000-capacity venue, support for Iran was described as strong. The creator's girlfriend attended her second football match ever and asked whether such events were typical.
