UEFA has issued an apology after videos of Scotland fans celebrating their historic World Cup qualification were removed from social media, sparking criticism from supporters and football figures alike.

The controversy began when the Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) received emails from UEFA alleging that videos shared on X showed footage of the Scotland vs Denmark match without permission. These clips, which captured jubilant fans across Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, and other cities celebrating Scotland’s first World Cup qualification since 1998, were taken down for copyright infringement. The SFSA’s account was also temporarily blocked.

Fans and Officials Criticise UEFA

SFSA co-founder Paul Goodwin questioned UEFA’s claim, highlighting the overreach of the takedowns.
“It is hard to believe that UEFA are so out of touch that they demanded that X take down images of joyous fans in bars celebrating a glorious evening for the nation,” Goodwin said.
“These clips were of fans watching the game legally on BBC Scotland and BBC Two, averaging just 40 seconds each. It’s hardly us streaming a game worldwide.”

The videos included iconic moments from the match, such as Kenny McLean’s spectacular goal from the halfway line, capturing the eruption of fans in pubs across Scotland.

Scottish Labour culture spokesman Neil Bibby also criticised the move, calling the removals “heavy-handed” and emphasising the importance of sharing a historic moment.
“Scotland’s victory on Tuesday night was a historic moment for the country. But it was also a spectacular advert for the beautiful game across the globe,” Bibby said.

UEFA Retracts and Issues Apology

Following the backlash, UEFA retracted the copyright notices and apologised for the removals. A spokesperson said:
“UEFA has a robust and extensive content protection programme in place to combat the unauthorised distribution of its content. In this instance, it appears that the relevant content was wrongly picked up by our content protection agencies. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and thank you for your understanding. Congratulations on your qualification for the World Cup, a fantastic achievement that we know means so much to Scottish fans everywhere.”

Scotland Qualifies for 2026 World Cup

The uproar comes in the wake of Scotland’s thrilling 4-2 win over Denmark at Hampden, which secured their place at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Goals from Scott McTominay, Lawrence Shankland, Kieran Tierney, and Kenny McLean confirmed Scotland’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years.

Fans across Scotland have been sharing video edits of McTominay’s stunning bicycle kick and other goals on platforms including X, Instagram, and TikTok, celebrating what many have called “the greatest night in Scottish football history.”

UEFA Copyright Enforcement in Context

UEFA frequently enforces strict copyright rules across platforms like YouTube, X, and TikTok, as it owns the broadcast rights to all matches under its competitions. Its guidelines state:
“UEFA is the exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights of the competition, including any current or future rights in all types of audio and visual material of the competition.”

However, the unintended removal of fan celebration videos demonstrated the challenges of enforcing copyright while respecting supporters’ social media engagement.

Fan and Community Response

The backlash underlines the passion of the Tartan Army and their global following. The incident has sparked discussion about the balance between copyright protection and fan culture, particularly during historic moments like Scotland’s World Cup qualification.

SFSA’s Goodwin added, “Our message to UEFA is maybe best summed up in the chant often directed to match officials: ‘you don’t know what you are doing.'”

With Scotland now looking forward to their first World Cup appearance since 1998, fans are already planning celebrations and sharing memories from a night that united the nation.