Scots ready to party if Trinidad beat England

By Paul Kelbie and Matthew Beard in Nuremberg

Thursday, 15 June 2006

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The steel bands have been booked, there's been a run on Trinidad & Tobago shirts and sales of rum have rocketed Scotland are ready for England's World Cup match today.

Bookies have been doing a roaring trade in bets that the first to score in today's match between England and Trinidad and Tobago will be Scotland.

That's Jason Scotland, the fortuitously-named St Johnstone striker, who is one of no fewer than six of the Trinidad & Tobago squad who are playing club football in Scotland. It stands to reason, therefore, that the Caribbean nation has become the surrogate champions of the Tartan Army against the "Auld Enemy".

Some bars in Glasgow and Edinburgh have decorated their pubs in a Caribbean theme complete with steel bands, while others are offering free drinks whenever England concede a goal. Tesco reports that sales of rum have risen by nearly 15 per cent in Scotland and tropical fruit is also proving a popular purchase.

All of which chimes with a recent survey which claimed that two-thirds of Scots have no intention of cheering for England in the World Cup, despite Gordon Brown's attempts to curry UK unity by voicing his support for Beckham and co.

It appears the majority, some of whom have snapped up T-shirts bearing the slogan: "I support 2 teams Scotland and anybody playing England' would rather follow the example of Jack McConnell, Scotland's First Minister.

When asked last month whether he would be supporting England, Mr McConnell said: "No, I will not. Scotland is not there and that's disappointing. And there are people who think that, as First Minister, I should automatically support England instead. But football is not about politics, so I will not be."

Hamish Husband, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, tried to explain that anti-English sentiment shouldn't be taken personally. " It's all done with good humour," he said. "Fans whose country is not in the World Cup always choose an underdog."

The Commission for Racial Equality is not laughing, and neither is the tourism industry, as both have warned that anti-English sentiment could result in a drop in visitors, damage to the economy and even suspension for school pupils who let their playground banter spill over into prejudice.

"It's not the English team we have problems with it's the media fuss," said Glasgow mini-cab driver David Macdonald. "If I hear another word about Wayne Rooney's foot I'll scream. If England wins we will never hear the end of it they're still living in 1966 as it is."

But the Scots are not alone in cheering their neighbour's opponents. Welsh and Irish football fans have also voiced support for other teams rather than England.

Indeed, the phenomenon of "ABE" Anyone But England has even been mentioned in the the German press, which finds the divided loyalties and lack of sympathy rather baffling.

In an article by their London correspondent the Sueddeutsche Zeitung noted that Scotland, Wales, parts of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic are backing teams other than the Three Lions. "Scotland's divided loyalty points to a bizarre situation that you can only get in the United Kingdom. Only this country has four national teams who all fight for World Cup qualification."

In Northern Ireland sympathies are decided along religious lines. "I'm an ABE, basically any team is better than England," said a Catholic priest Aidan Troy from Belfast. The loyalties in the protestant part of Northern Ireland are similarly clear. "England, who else?" said a spokesman for the Grand Orange Lodge.

* More than 300 German and Polish football fans were arrested in Dortmund last night after the host nation won their second game of the tournament. Hundreds of riot police chased German fans down a main shopping street and were pelted with bottles. Around 40 police special forces officers dressed in black body armour and balaclavas chased a mob through the main square. Fighting between fans of the two teams broke out in Friedens-Platz before the match where a giant screen showed the game. Several German fans, one draped in a national flag, were wrestled to the ground by police and placed in prison vans.

Scotland expects

Stuart Ullathorn 24, bar worker

"I will be supporting Trinidad & Tobago.I want to see them carry on going, plus they're playing England I want to see them beat. I can't stand them."

Carlton Brick 38, a lecturer

"I will be supporting England. Everybody else will be supporting Trinidad & Tobago so I will be cheering for England."

Rebecca Murphy 24, bar worker

"I don't have any particular ties with Trinidad & Tobago, but I would just want anyone to win against England - it doesn't matter who it is."

John Judge 80, Retired postman

"I'll be giving all my support to Trinidad - mainly because I'm sick of all the media coverage and hype. The English media are just so arrogant."

Niall Murphy 20, barman

"I will definitely be supporting Trinidad & Tobago. I am not too fond of England or their media, their arrogance annoys me."

Dennis McGlennon 20, student