Miami police have been inundated with messages from locals urging them to adopt a lenient approach towards the Tartan Army, as around 50,000 Scotland fans arrive for the final Group C World Cup match against Brazil. The pleas follow a video showing a Scotland fan being told to remove a traffic cone from a statue in downtown Miami.
Boston Set a Positive Example
Scotland supporters were praised for their warm spirit and humorous antics during the first two World Cup matches in Boston against Haiti and Morocco. Local police in Boston even joined in the fun, performing keepy-uppies in the FIFA Fan Zone and attempting to play the bagpipes. This positive reception has led Miami residents to urge their own police force to follow suit.
One local wrote on social media: "Don’t kill the vibe Boston embraced. Everyone loved them." Another pleaded: "PLEASE LET THEM PLACE THE CONES! They are harmless, hilarious and endearing!" A third added: "LIGHTEN UP!!! You’re blowing it!!"
Residents Urge Tolerance
Further messages encouraged Miami police to take notes from Boston, with one resident stating: "Take some notes from Boston. Cops showing their soccer moves, America's Founding Patriots getting harmlessly coned, ducks being garbed with Scottish flags. All in fun and love. No need to blare horns." Another urged: "Yeah you need to let them have the cones and let them have fun and y’all need to be chill and have fun as well." A sixth begged: "Let The Tartan Army put cones on the statues. They didn't leave Boston in disarray, it wouldn't ruin anything by putting a cone on a statue's head."
Fan Reprimanded for Coning Statue
The calls for tolerance come after a Scotland fan, Chris Nicoll from St Andrews, was spotted placing a traffic cone on the head of a statue of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León in downtown Miami. As he prepared to step down, a police car approached with sirens and an officer shouted at him to get off. Mr Nicoll complied, removing the cone and stepping down, but expressed dismay, telling onlookers: "They're obviously not Boston."
Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Nicoll said he explained to the officer that he meant no disrespect. The 51-year-old said: “The guy who set the sirens off, he was losing it. I’m like – ‘it’s tradition’. He was just swearing at us. My main thing was to try and make him aware of what’s going to come. We’ve got 50,000 Scotland fans coming, your week’s just not going to be fun unless you take it down a notch or two.”
High-Stakes Match Ahead
Steve Clarke's men face Brazil at the Hard Rock Stadium tomorrow night. A draw would all but guarantee Scotland's qualification from a group at a major tournament for the first time in their history.
