Boycotting World Cup not the right route for Scotland, says SNP's Stephen Flynn
Several MPs and a former SNP MP have called for Scotland and other home nations to boycott the men’s football World Cup
The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said boycotting the World Cup is not “the route we want to go down” in opposing Donald Trump’s takeover of Greenland.
On Tuesday a number of MPs called for the home nations to boycott the men’s football World Cup this summer, which is partly being hosted in the US. Former SNP MP Hannah Bardell also called for a boycott, saying “radical action” needed to be taken.
This comes as the US president slapped more tariffs on the UK and other European countries for opposing his ambitions to take over the Danish territory of Greenland.
However Stephen Flynn MP, himself a keen Scotland football supporter, said boycotting the World Cup is not the way to go on diplomacy.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, Mr Flynn said: “This is a deeply serious time and of course all of us are concerned about the impact the president’s actions are going to have on security and the ability to deal with the threats we face.
“But considering a boycott of the World Cup is low down the priority list on how to respond to the president.
“We have boycotted the world cup proactively since 1998 so I’m not entirely sure that’s a route we want to go down again.
“We need serious international dialogue on the European continent and with Canada where Mark Carney has shown fantastic leadership.”
The SNP’s Westminster leader said the world order is “rapidly changing before our eyes”, but the UK and its allies “can’t simply let the strong man win”.
He added: “This is an extremely serious situation and the World Cup seems somewhat small fry in that context.”
In his radio interview Mr Flynn was also accused of wanting England to boycott the World Cup if Scotland had not qualified.
In response, he joked: “Maybe, just in the hope they don’t win because that’s a distinct possibility given how good they are, but I am reluctant to get into the ins and outs of the World Cup when we have war in Europe and a US president seeking to undermine the Nato alliance.
“Our response needs to be a measured one and with our European allies.”
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