Uefa apologises after demanding removal of Scotland fan videos

The European football governing body said the footage had been “wrongly picked up by our content protection agencies” and it was taking steps to have it reinstated.

It comes after lawyers acting on its behalf sent emails to the Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) , saying videos shared on X showed TV coverage of the Scotland v Denmark game which had been shared without permission.

Videos shared by the SFSA were taken down due to copyright infringement and its account was blocked.

SFSA co-founder Paul Goodwin told the BBC: "It is hard to believe that Uefa are so out of touch that they demanded that X take down images of joyous fans in bars in Glasgow, Stirling and Dundee where some of our members were celebrating a glorious evening for the nation. It really smacks of folk who have no idea about football, making decisions."

READ MORE: Scotland at the 2026 World Cup: When is the draw, possible opponents, tournament dates, host cities

Scottish Labour culture spokesman Neil Bibby called Uefa’s actions "heavy-handed".

He said: "Scotland's victory on Tuesday night was a historic moment for the country. But it was also a spectacular advert for the beautiful game across the globe.

"I hope Uefa reconsider their position, not least because these clips powerfully demonstrate the thrilling and dramatic moments international football can create."

In a statement, Uefa said it has “a robust and extensive content protection programme in place to combat the unauthorised distribution of its content, in order to safeguard media rights revenues that support football development and grassroots initiatives throughout the European football ecosystem”.

It added: “In this instance, it appears that the relevant content was wrongly picked up by our content protection agencies and we are currently taking steps to withdraw the relevant notices so that the videos can be reinstated by the social media platforms. Uefa has apologised to the Scottish Football Supporters Association.”

Uefa’s rules state it is “the exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights of the competition, including any current or future rights in all types of audio and visual material of the competition".

Videos showing fans celebrating Scotland’s sensational 4-2 win over Denmark have flooded social media in recent days. It marks the first time Scotland has qualified for the World Cup since 1998.

Speaking in Holyrood on Thursday, First Minister John Swinney congratulated the team. “It was an absolute privilege to be in attendance at Hampden Park on Tuesday night, to see such an exciting game of football with spectacular goals,” he said.

“The Scotland national team have brought joy to everyone in Scotland and I pay warm tribute to them for what they achieved on Tuesday.”

Eric Trump – the son of US President Donald Trump and the de-facto head of the Trump Organisation in Scotland – said the family are looking forward to welcoming the Tartan Army if they play in the US next year.

World Cup games could take place in either the US, Canada or Mexico.