Scottish newspaper calls for Spain’s ‘revenge’ on England in final

A pro-independence Scottish newspaper has sparked outrage after its frontpage called for Spain to get ‘revenge’ on England in the Euros final.

The National, which has ‘the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland’ on its masthead, published the shocking frontpage in the lead-up to the highly-anticipated match on Sunday.

Drawing on the practice of some Scottish fans to support any team playing England, the title’s frontpage shows Spanish footballer Rodri kicking an overweight England fan who is photoshopped to be the shape of a football.

Social media users were quick to condemn the article with many labelling it ’embarrassing’ and ‘horrible’.

With the headline ‘Time for Revenge!’ in bold red ink, the paper stated: ‘Every summer, they fill up your beaches. They drink all your beer. 

‘They make a mess of your plazas. They eat fried breakfasts all day instead of your wonderful food. They retire in your towns, and sponge off your public services. 

‘Now The National says time for revenge! Our message to Spain: Save us from an England win (or we’ll never hear the end of it!).’

The paper’s splash comes after Scotland crashed out of the Euros in the group stage, following a 5-1 thrashing by Germany, a 1-1 draw with Switzerland, and a 1-0 loss from Hungary. 

The front page has been shared widely online, raking in 600,000 views and hundreds of shares. 

One social media user commented: ‘Well, this is embarrassing.’

Another replied: ‘This is truly horrible.’

A third wrote: ‘And do the Scottish not got on holiday to Spain, fill up beaches and eat fried breakfasts – or is this equal opportunity self hatred ? Mean spirited – luckily, as proved by the elections, this type of thinking is in its way out.’

Another posted: ‘Proving why the Scot Nats have been rejected at the ballot box.’

While another wrote: ‘U ok hun? Why are the Scottish always against the English? I’m always supportive of the Scottish, because Scotland is a lovely country, why not grow up and show you’re adults? Very sad.’ 

It is not the first time The National has drawn criticism for its coverage of events.

After it was launched following the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 its unabashedly pro-independence stance has seen it widely ridiculed. 

Labour peer George Foulkes quickly dubbed it ‘McPravda’, a reference to the heavily ideological political newspaper associated with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

But sales of the paper remain low, from January to December 2022 ABC calculated its circulation at just 3,555 per issue. 

In comparison the Scottish regional based in Aberdeen, The Press & Journal sold almost 23,000 daily from July to December 2023. Whereas another Scottish regional, The Courier based in Dundee, sold 17,000 each day, according to Press Gazette.