KING CHARLES has approved a new one-off bank holiday to allow fans to watch a late-night World Cup clash.
Monday June 15th will be the special occasion in Scotland, as the Tartan Army kick-off their first campaign in the competition since 1998.
Their first match in Group C will be against Caribbean minnows Haiti at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, USA, the typical home of the NFL‘s New England Patriots.
But unfortunately for fans, kick-off was selected at 9pm local time, translating to 2am on Sunday June 14th for Scottish fans hoping to follow along.
First Minister John Swinney stepped in to suggest a new bank holiday to give fans the time needed to support their team and recover in time to return to their working lives.
He said: “Scotland will be on the world stage this summer and I want as many people as possible to be able to celebrate that moment.
“Football means a great deal to many people in this country and it has been almost three decades since our men’s national team played at the World Cup finals tournament.
“We want to make the most of Scotland’s participation in this global sporting event by ensuring people have the opportunity to come together and celebrate – no matter the outcome of the match.
“I am very grateful to His Majesty King Charles for approving the proposal and I encourage employers around the country to work with staff to put in place suitable arrangements that will allow as many of them as possible to join in the celebrations.”
And now the idea has received the go-ahead from King Charles, meaning fans – provided their employers buy into the new holiday – can watch and rest easy as the Scots make their return to the World Cup.
After navigating their Haiti tie, the Scotland squad will face off against Morocco at a more accessible time of 11pm on Friday June 19th.
The likes of Aston Villa star John McGinn and Manchester United flop-turned Napoli superstar Scott McTominay will lead Steve Clarke‘s side on the pitch.
They will round off their group stage with a clash with Brazil at 11pm on Wednesday June 24th.
The side have never managed to make it out of the group stage before in their eight appearances at the tournament.
When is Scotland’s World Cup bank holiday and how do I know if I get the day off?
By Sian Maher
Football fans in Scotland will be able to enjoy a bank holiday on Monday June 15th.
Scotland will kick off their Group C campaign against Haiti at the 65,000 capacity Boston (Gillette) Stadium in Foxborough on Saturday, June 13.
Kick-off is at 9pm local time, meaning fans staying home in Scotland will see the game start at 2am on Sunday, June 14.
To ease the troubles of fans hoping to stay up to watch the Tartan Army’s return to the competition, the bank holiday will give some a much-needed buffer.
But not all fans will be able to enjoy the late night and accompanying lay in.
While the holiday guarantees a day off for public sector employees under the Scottish Government, it is up to individual employers, including local authorities, to decide whether to follow suit.
A total of 27 out of 32 Scottish local authorities have officially rejected or opted out of the proposed bank holiday.
This leaves only five councils, Aberdeen City, Dundee City, Glasgow, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire, granting their staff the paid day off and closing local schools.
Fans in England have yet to be granted a Bank Holiday for any World Cup match, with the Three Lions’ latest group-stage kick-off time being 10pm against Panama.
However, if England win their group, they will face a 1am overnight kick-off in Mexico City ahead of Monday morning.
So supporters will be keeping their fingers crossed that they could benefit from an extra holiday during the tournament.
Three Lions fan Chris has followed England at every tournament since 2010 and travelled to Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra during qualification.
He was left unimpressed with the King’s offer – while poking fun at the Auld Enemy.
Chris, who has tickets to the Ghana game and tickets to the last-16 and final should England get there, told SunSport: “I don’t understand why they’d be getting a Bank Holiday on the Monday if the game is on the Saturday night / Sunday morning.
“They’ve still got 18 hours to recover.
“We’ve all had a good session watching England games before and had to get up for work the next morning. I know it’s a novelty for them.
“I think it’s an absolute disgrace to be quite honest.”
He added: “”All these years, all these major tournaments we’ve been in.
“We’ve had to get up and nurse our heads after big games – semi-finals and finals.
“No Bank Holidays for us.
“But I suppose give them their moment in the spotlight.
“Let them have a day off work because they’ll be going home in a week anyway.”
