FIRST Minister John Swinney has praised the Tartan Army for being an “absolute credit” to the country and “capturing the imagination” of Americans while supporting Scotland at the World Cup.
Swinney is the latest to heap praise on the 10,000-strong Tartan Army supporters who have travelled to Boston to cheer on Steve Clarke’s side as Scotland’s men's team take part in their first World Cup in 28 years.
Scotland fans have been in full swing party mode since arriving in the American city last week, with local and national media commenting on the positive celebrations supporters have brought to the country.
Swinney, who was in Boston to watch Scotland win against Haiti in their opening Group C match, said it was a “particular pleasure” for him to see the Tartan Army make “such a positive impression” in Boston.
When asked by SNP MSP Alex Kerr during back-bencher questions on Tuesday about what he achieved while visiting the United States, and how he plans on building on the momentum of Scotland’s win to drum up support across the country for the sport.
Swinney replied: “Let me begin by expressing the warmest congratulations of everyone in the Scottish Parliament and indeed the whole of our country at the outstanding performance of Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson, and the Scotland team and the Tartan Army who were an absolute credit to our country in the United States at the weekend.
“It was a particular pleasure for me to see our fans make such a positive impression in Boston and to capture the imagination and the interest of the city.
“The governor of Massachusetts and the Mayor of Boston both indicated to me on Friday evening their joy that of what the fans had brought to the city, and of course I, like everyone else, was able to witness on Saturday, the success of our team in winning against Haiti and it's augur well for the remainder of the World Cup campaign.”
Swinney continued by saying Scotland’s first World Cup win since 1990 will help capture the imagination of the country around sporting events.
He added that the Scottish Government recognises the importance of sports within society and that includes providing £275,000 to help support youngsters “follow their sporting dreams” with initiatives including Street Soccer Scotland and the Summer of Sport.
“I think, Presiding Officer, we should all take stock after the weekend and be very, very grateful for the tremendous inspiration given by the Scotland national team and by the Tartan Army, who are a credit to our country,” Swinney said.
It comes after Swinney travelled to the state of Kentucky to meet bourbon business leaders on Monday.
The Scottish Government said the First Minister was aiming to “keep up the momentum” for Scotch after US president Donald Trump announced earlier this year that he would remove the 10% tariff on whisky.
The move is a big win for Scotland’s national drink, with the American market – its biggest – worth nearly £1 billion.
“The removal of tariffs on Scotch whisky is an essential opportunity for the Scotch whisky industry, the Kentucky bourbon industry, and the cask industry to prosper and to expand,” Swinney said.
“It was important that we got the tariffs lifted with the agreement of President Trump to make sure that trade could flow effectively.”
