This week the SNP’s shadow minister for transport, Gavin Newlands MP, announced a roundtable with the Scottish Football Association, Channel 4, BBCs Scotland and Alba, and Viaplay after the national team’s stunning win over Spain in Euro 2024 qualifying was locked behind a paywall, in contrast to matches for the English and Welsh sides.

While few would argue with the substance of his point, one could be forgiven for thinking that his intervention was a matter of political opportunism rather than practical policy. For one thing, the broadcast rights for the European Championship qualifiers – as well as the Nations League and friendly matches – are sold by UEFA as a bloc in a centralised process.

In this case the governing body sold the rights to Viaplay – England’s matches are shown on Channel 4 thanks to a significant investment in the rights, and S4C as well as Viaplay show the Welsh national team’s matches with the proviso they can be broadcast only in Welsh on the former.

It’s possible the SFA could come to a similar arrangement at least in limited form – free-to-air games have been secured in the past – but in any case it’s a bit rich for a politician of any stripe to be making a populist appeal to football fans, though convenient for one whose party is engulfed in crisis and could probably do with a bit of good press.

📝 Sign up for our Unspun newsletter and enjoy exclusive opinion and analysis from some of Scotland's best political writers and commentators. Click here to sign up 👈

When not looking to get some credit – for something which may not even be feasible – politicians don’t have much time for fans of the beautiful game.

The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985, passed by Westminster in the wake of the Heysel Stadium disaster, forbids being drunk, being in possession of alcohol or allowing others to possess it on public transport. Its 2005 amendment makes clear this applies only to football – rugby or cricket fans need not worry about tins of lager being seized.

As few will need reminding, just four years after the initial act passed Liverpool supporters, forced into a deathly crush by inept policing at Hillsborough, were blamed for the deaths of 96 of their brethren.

In England at least football fans can have a drink at the stadium – that’s banned in Scotland too, though of course not for rugby. What would be perfectly legal at Murrayfield for a Six Nations match would get you lifted 600m away at Tynecastle.

It doesn’t end there...

...want to read the full article? Sign up for free to the Unspun newsletter and receive it directly to your inbox every weekday night at 7pm. Click here 👈