Germany thought it was doing a nice thing for Scotland at the EURO 2024 soccer tournament with its Bavarian goodbye. It ended up being a humiliating sendoff for a country that failed to win a single match.
Perhaps there was an underlying intention to the Germans’ gesture…
Scotland opened the UEFA European Championship against the host country on June 14. Although the Scots got smacked 5-1, the Tartan Army drank the city of Munich dry before the match. They continued that trend throughout the rest of the group stage. Unfortunately, their team failed to advance to the knockout round after a loss to Hungry and draw with Switzerland.
Scotland traveled back home on Monday after finishing dead last in Group A. They played their final match in Stuttgart, which was founded in the 10th century and proudly boasts its Bavarian history.
As the Scottish team made its way out from the hotel to the busses, a traditional Bavarian band played them off. Stuttgart thought it was doing a nice thing. In reality, it could not have been more humiliating.
A disappointed group of players and coaches who did not record a single win were played off to upbeat oom-pah music. Their reactions spoke louder than words. It was brutal.
The sendoff was straight out of an episode of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and the real kicker was the Bavarian band’s rendition of Scotland the Brave. Germany and Stuttgart’s attempt at an act of kindness toward the Scottish side completely backfired in the funniest way possible.
EUROs did not go as Scotland or its fans had hoped. To have a Bavarian band play them off after recording just one single point was as embarrassing as it gets— even if it was intended as a great honor and display of German culture.