Sam Allardyce reveals 'terrifying' experience being stuck in Dubai during US-Iran war

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Sam Allardyce has described the "terrifying" experience of seeing missiles and drones in the sky while out in Dubai. The former England manager, 71, had been enjoying a short break in the UAE when he was caught up in the ongoing conflict between the USA, Israel and Iran.

"I'm happy to be back because of the devastating stuff that happened in Dubai, which is where I was stuck," Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast . "When I landed back at Manchester Airport, I was a bit relieved to say the least.

"It was just unbelievable to be there and actually be thinking, 'How is this going to escalate? Is it going to get worse?'"

Allardyce - a long-serving Premier League manager with spells at Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle , West Ham , Everton , Crystal Palace and Sunderland - had been overseeing an annual 'legends' match between former England and Scotland players when the incident unfolded. "All of a sudden we heard this pop in the sky," he recalled.

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"We looked up and the missiles and drones were coming over. They were shooting them down and intercepting them, so I shot back to the hotel to get back to [my wife] Lynne."

He praised the local response, adding: "I have to tell everybody how brilliantly they handled the situation in Dubai. There was some damage. As far as I knew, there was only one fatality, one person died.

"Most of the time it was only the debris - unlike what a lot people panicked about with AI [videos] showing the Burj Khalifa burning... there wasn't any of that. But it was terrifying."

The crisis ignited on February 28 when a coordinated US-Israeli decapitation strike on Tehran successfully assassinated Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , along with several top military and security officials.

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This targeted killing was part of a broader, high-stakes military campaign by the US and Israel designed to dismantle the Islamic Republic's leadership structure, neutralise imminent threats and cripple its military and nuclear capabilities.

In response to Khamenei's death, Iran retaliated by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at several US military installations across the Middle East. One such target was the Al Dhafra Air Base located just outside Dubai.

Although UAE air defence systems intercepted the vast majority of the incoming projectiles, the deafening sounds of fighter jets, explosions and falling debris forced residents and visitors alike into temporary lockdown.

Rio Ferdinand - the former England and Manchester United defender - was among several British expats caught up in the unrest in Dubai, where he moved last year with his wife and children. Earlier this month, he spoke candidly about the "scary" situation, offering a detailed account of the experience.

"Been a different week for me, not going to lie," he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents . "Firstly, I'm in great condition this morning as the whole family did a workout. A bit like in Covid, the whole family is doing things we wouldn't usually be doing together.

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"Home-schooling a bit today. It's frightening when you hear missiles, planes and fighter jets - I don't know what it is - going above us, and you're hearing big bombs, and what that is we don't know as we don't know the details of what they are.

"It's telling your kids what it is and helping them navigate through this moment, which is important especially as the dad of the house. You want to try and remain calm and keep everybody as calm as possible.

"I've got to be honest guys, it's been a bit of a scary situation but at the same time weirdly enough I've felt very secure and looked after. My studio has become my bunker.

"We were advised to go into the basement on the first night of all the noise started and we were down here sleeping with duvets and stuff. We are utilising the space wisely."

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