Scotland's bizarre World Cup outpost: rail replacement bus, venison festival and vantage-point hunt

Of course, tell fans not to do something, especially in the high-handed way Fifa and Uefa tend to do things, and they might very well do the opposite. And why not? There’s understandable frustration that Scotland fans can’t attend an important fixture due to sanctions imposed by the football authorities against Belarus due to their tacit support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A decent number have made the trip anyway.

This very weekend in England saw the record for longest away fixture in British league football broken. Total respect to those Truro City supporters who made their way nearly 900 miles up the country to Carlisle for a National League fixture on Saturday, only to lose 3-0, but at least they knew they had a game to go to at the end of it. That’s not the case for the rumoured 200 or so intrepid Tartan Army members, who, rather than head back to Scotland following Friday night’s 0-0 draw with Denmark, have opted not only to carry on to Zalaegerszeg, but also learn how to pronounce the city where Scotland are due to play one of their most unusual-ever fixtures (it’s – Zala-eger-seg).

First things first. Where is it? Lying on the Zala river, Zalaegerszeg is close to both Austrian and Slovenian borders and is around 200 kms south-west of Budapest by road. On the well-trodden path of qualifying for either European Championship or World Cups, it isn’t often that Scotland break new ground. However, that’s certainly what Steve Clarke's side will be doing on Monday night, where they turn out in a place that is listed 18th in the population league for towns and cities in Hungary. With just over 60,000 inhabitants, it’s roughly the size of Dunfermline.

What it has over its Fife counterpart is a preponderance of thermal spas in its environs. Scotland, who only arrived from Copenhagen on Sunday evening having stayed on in the Danish capital, could perhaps send Scott McTominay to one of them as he looks to recover from a knock sustained in the opening game.

His absence could be one of several changes against a team ranked 97 in the world as Clarke decides to what extent he wishes to shake things up. It’s another crucial staging post in this snappy campaign – the final game against Denmark is now just 71 days away. But the circumstances surrounding the fixture could potentially invite a loss of focus. They threaten to overshadow what is the priority of the mission, which is three priceless points on the road to North America.

A city unaware of what’s to come

Few locals seemed to be aware that the city was about to host an international football match, even though Belarus have played on three occasions already in the city. The natives were more interested in the Vadporkolt es borfesztival, framed around venison and wine, that was on-going as Scottish journalists, broadcasters and even already some fans started to arrive in dribs and drabs.

Those who chose to come in from Budapest via public transport have learned that rail replacement service is just as dreaded a phrase in Hungarian as it is English. The journey included stops at places like Szekesfehervar. It ground to a halt completely at Veszprem, where the bus came in. Two hours battering along the road to Zalalovo then back on board a 247 Citadella. Zalaegerszeg was finally in sight.

Others lingered on a little longer in Budapest. Alistair Craig, a Tartan Army footsoldier from Paisley, was one of them. Had he seen many more Scotland fans out and about in the Hungarian capital? “One or two at the most, because, really, who is going to be dumb enough to come?!” he answered. He has hired a car, and he and a friend will wend their way down to Zalaegerszeg, dropping in to see Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in central Europe, before then driving another half an hour to the centre of the Scottish football world – for one night only. The first task once here is to check out the stadium and see if there are potential vantage points, such as flats where occupants can be paid to rent out a balcony (sadly, he’ll be disappointed, since the stadium is on the outskirts and surrounded mostly by greenery).

‘We are just going to wing it,” he said. “We will have a look at the stadium, see what it looks like and then take it from there. We pretty much know there is zero chance of getting it unless we got lucky with something.”

Craig ought to be particularly sore at being unlikely to gain entry. He’s just celebrated his 100th game watching Scotland away in Denmark. It looks like 101 will be in Athens in November rather than Hungary.

Some impressive attendance runs are coming to a crashing halt. Kevin Donnelly, of the London based Scotland Supporters Club, started making badges commemorating Scotland games in 2002.

An over-order of badges

Since fans tend to buy only those for matches they have attended, to pin in their glengarries or wherever else, has over-ordered by 200 or so. “I think what you have to say is that it doesn’t count if you can’t go to it,” Craig said. ‘You couldn’t go to the Covid ones. A lot of people had done a lot of games in a row then Covid came. There was nothing you could not do about that.”

Craig had gone 40 years without missing a home game before the outbreak of the pandemic. The nearest fans will get to seeing their heroes in the flesh on this trip is catching sight of them as the Scotland squad partake in their usual city walkabout on the day of the game (it was cancelled in Copenhagen due to the incessant rain).

He’s not unduly concerned, not by the fact he won’t get in – “It’s a good tour-about anyway,” he says - nor being beaten to Zalaegerszeg by an advanced party of Tartan Army conscripts, who had draped flags from windows of their hotel rooms by Sunday afternoon. It’s not every day that a picture of Ally MacLeod will stare out towards the city square in this quiet corner of Hungary.