An England fan who spent his £10,000 life savings on taking his grandfather to the World Cup has been reimbursed in full by a US-based online crypto casino, Metawin, after his story went viral.
Jacob Allmendinger's sacrifice
Jacob Allmendinger, 21, from North Ferriby, near Hull, used the money he had saved for a house deposit to take his 80-year-old grandfather, Geoff Golliker, on a trip to the USA and Mexico for the World Cup. Jacob said he wanted to return the favour after Geoff took him to Hull City games since he was a little boy.
The pair travelled to New York and Atlanta for matches against Panama and DR Congo, and witnessed England's historic 3-2 win at the Azteca Stadium against Mexico. They are now heading to Miami for the quarter-final against Norway.
Viral story leads to generous offer
Jacob was contacted on social media by Metawin, which vowed to pay back the money if England beat Panama by more than two goals. When England only won 2-0, the company said it would still pay the £10,000 if England beat DR Congo by any score. After England's 2-1 win, Jacob was stunned to see the money in his bank account.
Jacob said: "I was amazed, it was an incredible gesture really. They had contacted me on social media about the story and tweeted about paying the money back if we beat Panama by more than two goals. When we only won 2-0 they said they would still pay £10,000 if we won against DR Congo by any score. I didn't quite believe it, to be honest, until I looked at my bank and it was there. I was just in shock."
Plans for the refund
Jacob plans to save the money for now. "I think I'll save the money until I get back home. I'll put it in a savings account for now and see what happens after the next couple of months. We could go to the European Championships, I could buy a house, anything is possible. It's just great to have options."
Describing the trip, Jacob said: "The Mexico game was a once-in-a-generation game to watch. The parallels to now and 1966 when we last beat Mexico in the World Cup and then went on to win the whole thing, it kind of gets you giddy for the rest of the trip."
Overwhelming support
Jacob said he had been bombarded with positive messages since his story made headlines. He told the BBC: "I think it just resonates with people. I've had people reach out who have lost their grandparents and how they wish they'd done something similar. It just makes us cherish this time more, really."
Geoff added: "We're getting recognised quite a bit. When we were in New York, a guy came up to us and said, 'are you the guys travelling round?' It was brilliant. The Mexican fans were absolutely fantastic. Very happy, very boisterous. The atmosphere that's built up is fantastic."
Speaking before the trip, Jacob, who had saved for five years with the dream of owning a home, said: "I can always make money back, I'm at the age where I can afford to miss out on a house for two or three years. But I won't ever get to go to the World Cup with my grandad again. We get on like a house on fire. We're more best mates than grandad and grandson."
