AN SNP minister has admitted he was disappointed with the thousands of Tartan Army fans in London on Friday, adding it “would not help with controlling the virus”.
The Scottish Government’s business and tourism minister Ivan McKee made the comments on BBC One Scotland’s Sunday Show – after being repeatedly quizzed by host Martin Geissler over the gatherings.
Thousands of Scotland fans dismissed warnings from both the Scottish Government and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who urged those without tickets not to travel south.
Mr Khan confirmed there would be no alternate venues for Scotland fans to watch the game other than at Wembley Stadium – where around 2600 members of the Tartan Army will be allowed.
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He said: "I am urging all fans to only come to London if you have a ticket for the match or if you have arranged a safe place to watch it from, in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines."
The comments were echoed by Scotland’s culture minister Jenny Gilruth. She said: “I urge all football fans to plan in advance how you are going to enjoy the tournament and only travel to London for June 18 if you have a ticket or a safe place to watch the match from.”
However, scenes from Central London showed many members of the Tartan Army snubbed those calls, with areas in Hyde Park and Leicester Square packed to the brim with Scotland fans.
On the BBC programme, Mr Geissler asked: “What did you make of that, because there's not been much criticism of them from your government so far?"
READ MORE: Scotland fans help tidy up litter left in central London
Mr McKee replied: “Well, fans, like everybody else, should follow the rules and the regulations, they absolutely should - that's the way to beat the virus.”
The host followed up, adding: “Nicola Sturgeon's been very quick to criticise other football fans who've gathered in public places”.
The BBC journalist pressed further and, when asked if he was “disappointed” with the pictures, Mr McKee said: “I think it doesn't help the situation with regards to controlling the virus, absolutely.”
Scotland won praise for their performance at Wembley, securing a point which keeps their hopes of qualifying for the knock-outs alive.
The Tartan Army were also commended for their help in cleaning up piles of litter following the gatherings.
Pictures shared online showed kilt-cladded Scots across Leicester Square and beyond, picking up the mess they had left behind from the previous night.
Steve Clarke’s side take on Croatia on Tuesday at 8pm in a showdown clash. Both sides need to win to qualify for the next round.
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