Public address mediaScottish fans have criticized UEFA after videos of fans celebrating their team’s qualification for the World Cup were removed from social media.
The Scottish Football Supporters’ Association (SFSA) received emails from European football’s governing body stating that it had shared images showing television coverage of the match between Scotland and Denmark on X without permission.
Posts shared by the SFSA showed fans across the country celebrating Tuesday night’s match, where Scotland secured a place in the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
Many of the videos were removed due to copyright infringement and the SFSA account was blocked.
SFSA co-founder Paul Goodwin questioned the fairness of the claim.
He said: “It’s hard to believe that UEFA are so out of touch that they demanded that X remove images of joyful fans in bars in Glasgow, Stirling and Dundee, where some of our members were celebrating a glorious evening for the nation.
“This smells a lot like people who have no idea about football and who make decisions.”
Tuesday’s match was broadcast free-to-air on BBC Scotland and BBC Two. Rights differ elsewhere.
One of the deleted videos showed a packed pub in Inverurie erupting when Scott McTominay scored with a bicycle kick three minutes into the game.
Goodwin added: “Yes, the game was in the background, but these clips were of fans watching the game which were being watched legally on the BBC and averaged 40 seconds in length.
“So it’s not about broadcasting a game to a global audience.”
The group received emails from lawyers on behalf of UEFA after posts were flagged for breaking UEFA rules in match footage.
Goodwin said he was “shocked” when the videos were deleted and the group’s account locked.
“Our message to UEFA is perhaps best summed up in the chant often directed at referees: ‘You don’t know what you’re doing,'” he added.
Scotland qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 with a memorable 4-2 victory over Denmark at Hampden.
Goals from Scott McTominay, Lawrence Shankland, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean secured Scotland’s place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In addition to fan reactions, video edits of goals, particularly McTominay’s bicycle kick, have been widely shared on social media sites including X, as well as Instagram and TikTok.
Scottish Labor culture spokesman Neil Bibby called the expulsions “heavy-handed”.
He said: “Scotland’s victory on Tuesday night was a historic moment for the country.
“But it was also a spectacular advertisement for the beautiful game around the world.
“I hope UEFA reconsiders its position, especially as these clips powerfully demonstrate the exciting and dramatic moments that international football can create.”
UEFA frequently removes videos from YouTube due to strict copyright enforcement.
European football’s governing body owns the broadcast rights to its matches and generally restricts the uploading of match footage by unofficial channels and fans.
Under UEFA rules, the governing body “is the exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights in the competition, including current or future rights to all types of audiovisual material in the competition.”
UEFA has been contacted for comment.
