It’s believed Scotland’s players tried to petition their bosses to let them go to Brazil. George Young, the Rangers right-back and Scotland captain at the time, is believed to have personally approached George Graham, chief executive of the SFA.
The stance of the directors meant that Young, the first Scotland player to reach 50 appearances, never played at a World Cup.
The Scottish team featured players that played in Scotland as well as in England, for teams like Arsenal, Derby County, and Liverpool.
The relationship between players of both nations were close. So close in fact, that help to travel to Brazil came from an unlikely source.
The Scottish FA had remained steadfast in refusing their place in Brazil, at which stage the English FA entered with an opportunity.
“They offered to split the cost with us for travelling, since a lot of the players would have got on with each other,” says Andy.
“But they still said no, and at that point other countries were offered Scotland’s place.”
Finances and football are now so intertwined that it seems hard to separate the two. In some ways, it was the same in the early years of the World Cup.
