Boogieing, booze and traffic cones: How Scotland fans are bringing the party to the World Cup
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As It Happens7:00From boogieing to booze to traffic cones: How Scotland fans are bringing the party to the World Cup
When Scotland defeated Haiti in their first World Cup game in 28 years last Saturday, the crowd…started boogieing.
No, really.
Boston Stadium shook with thousands of “Tartan army” supporters — bopping and belting out the 1977 disco hit Yes Sir, I Can Boogie — more than 4,000 kilometers away from their home across the Atlantic.
Among them, was Glaswegian Craig Telfer, a Scottish superfan and host of the A View from the Terrace football podcast. He told As It Happens host Nil Köksal that he can absolutely boogie—especially given his country entered the tournament as heavy underdogs, with betting sites assigning them long, long-shot odds of lifting the trophy.
“I’ve gone 28 years without boogieing, so it’s only ’til we’ve got that special goal to send us through to the World Cup that I’ve got the boogie in my shoes,” said Telfer.
So how did a song, originally sung by a Spanish female vocal duo known as Baccara, become Scotland’s “other” national anthem at the World Cup?
According to Telfer, it all started with a leaked video in 2015 of former Abderdeen defender Andy Considine dressed in drag and dancing to the Baccara hit at his bachelor-party weekend.
“Now fast forward to 2019-2020, Scotland has a bit of an injury crisis [and] Andy Considine gets called up to the national team” for Euro 2020, Telfer said.
“Suddenly, people start talking about Baccarat and Yes Sir, I Can Boogie and the video resurfaces,” said Telfer. “Then all of a sudden that becomes a song that celebrates Andy Considine playing for Scotland, and then, since he’s no longer playing for Scotland, it’s just now become ubiquitous with Scotland.”
Scottish fans celebrate at a park in central Boston ahead of the game. (Martin Meissner/The Associated Press)
The rest, as they say, is history. Over the past six years, the song has taken on a life of its own as a “Scottish football anthem,” Telfer says. Last weekend that culminated in a sea of fans dressed in red jerseys following Scotland’s victory, which propelled the team to first place in Group C.
It’s just one of the many ways an estimated 50,000 Tartan Army supporters have been painting Boston red ahead of Scotland’s second game against Morocco this Friday — taking over the streets with bagpipes and kilts while injecting some levity into the tournament with their unofficial slogan: “No Scotland, No Party.”
In fact, the army has developed a reputation for its “charming boisterousness,” as Telfer calls it, with stories circulating about orange traffic cones mysteriously ending up atop statues wherever in Boston Scottish fans gather. Telfer says it’s an inside joke familiar to anyone from Glasgow.
“In Glasgow city centre, there is a statue of the Duke of Wellington riding a horse and … famously for years … that statue has had a traffic cone on its head,” said Telfar. “When I was leaving to come to the harbour today … I walked past three different statues, all with traffic cones on their heads. It’s remarkable. We’ve completely taken over.”
Scottish fans passing a statue of American revolutionary John Glover, decorated with a traffic cone in the tradition of Scottish football fans, at a park in Boston ahead of the World Cup Group C soccer match between Scotland and Morocco, Friday, June 19. (Martin Meissner/The Associated Press)
The antics don’t stop there. Apparently, the army has also been taking over the city’s restaurants and pubs, draining Boston bars dry. According to one local NBC News report, bar owners say they’re running low on alcohol. One owner claimed Scottish fans drank four times as much Boston Lager as the bar typically sells during a four-day holiday stretch such as the Fourth of July.
“I know that drinking alcohol isn’t necessarily something to be proud of, but … I think that we are single-handedly keeping Boston’s economy and business with the amount that we’re putting behind the coffers,” said Telfer.
He adds that locals seem to be taking it all in stride.
“I think that any of the Bostonians that I’ve spoken to, they’ve been really pleased that we’ve come here and we’ve really enjoyed ourselves,” said Telfer. “It’s about being respectful and courteous as well. We are having a good time.”
Telfer says what he’ll remember most from this World Cup experience is the meaningful time he’s spent, not only with fellow Scottish supporters, but with fans from around the world, united by their love of the beautiful game.
“You’ve got fans of nations who would never normally encounter one another, all coming together to just have a great big laugh and a great big dance to this 1970s Spanish disco song,” said Telfer.
