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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Mark Walker

Furious Tartan Army chiefs write to SFA to oppose controversial Infantino plans

(Image: PA)

Tartan Army chiefs have written to the SFA to demand they oppose FIFA's shock plans to sell the World Cup.

UEFA are hosting an emergency meeting to discuss its response to the controversial plans proposed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

World football's governing body has issued a deadline of September 19 for all 211 of its members to agree to the deal, which would net each association £30 million.

Now the Association of Tartan Army - who represent the estimated 50,000 Scotland fans who won praise during their spell at this year's tournament - have written to SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell, who will be at the meeting, urging him to oppose the plans.

They stated: "We’re asking the SFA to oppose and publicly speak out against any attempt by FIFA to privatise or sell off any part of our game, and to stand alongside UEFA and other European nations in resisting such moves.

"Scotland has always been more than just another football nation. We helped create the modern game, played the first ever international and have spent more than 150 years shaping football’s history. That gives us a responsibility to speak up when we believe football is heading in the wrong direction.

"After waiting 28 years to return to the World Cup, thousands of Scotland supporters travelled across North America to follow the team.


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"In Boston and beyond, the Tartan Army showcased everything that’s good about Scottish football. Our supporters built friendships, worked with local communities and left behind a reputation that money simply can’t buy.

"But many also came home asking whether the World Cup is still being built for supporters.

"Fans faced some of the highest costs ever seen at a football tournament. Ticket prices were eye-watering, accommodation costs spiralled and commercial interests seemed to take priority over the match-going supporter.

"Football risks becoming a luxury rather than a game for everyone.

"The answer cannot be to hand even more control to private investors whose priority is delivering financial returns. That would only push the game further away from the people who made it what it is.

"UEFA has rightly recognised that supporters are key stakeholders in football, not just customers.

"We believe the SFA should champion that principle and be a strong voice at the forefront in protecting those values. Scottish football should be working with UEFA and other European nations to oppose any move that places private profit ahead of supporters.

"Football doesn’t belong to investors. It belongs to the fans."

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