Uefa has backtracked on its decision to remove from social media videos of Scotland fans celebrating their team's qualification for the World Cup, issuing an apology after criticism was levelled at the European governing body.
The Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) had shared clips on X (Twitter), showing scenes of jubilation among fans across the country as they watched their side secure a 4-2 win over Denmark. However, due to Uefa's copyright policy, many videos were wrongly picked up by content protection agencies and taken down.
As part of its robust content protection programme, Uefa had shared footage showing TV coverage of the Scotland v Denmark game without permission. The organisation claimed that this was done to "combat the unauthorised distribution" of its content, but many argued that it was heavy-handed and unfair.
SFSA co-founder Paul Goodwin questioned the fairness of Uefa's claim, stating: "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." He added: "It really smacks of folk who have no idea about football, making decisions."
Following criticism from supporters, Uefa has now issued an apology, stating that steps are being taken to withdraw copyright notices so that the videos can be reinstated by social media platforms. The governing body acknowledged its mistake and thanked fans for their understanding.
As Scotland prepares to make its World Cup debut in 2026, many have been celebrating on social media, sharing clips of goals scored during the historic 4-2 win over Denmark. Fans are now able to continue doing so after Uefa's decision to reinstate the videos.
The qualification marks a long-awaited return for Scottish football, with the side last competing at the World Cup in 1998.
The Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) had shared clips on X (Twitter), showing scenes of jubilation among fans across the country as they watched their side secure a 4-2 win over Denmark. However, due to Uefa's copyright policy, many videos were wrongly picked up by content protection agencies and taken down.
As part of its robust content protection programme, Uefa had shared footage showing TV coverage of the Scotland v Denmark game without permission. The organisation claimed that this was done to "combat the unauthorised distribution" of its content, but many argued that it was heavy-handed and unfair.
SFSA co-founder Paul Goodwin questioned the fairness of Uefa's claim, stating: "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." He added: "It really smacks of folk who have no idea about football, making decisions."
Following criticism from supporters, Uefa has now issued an apology, stating that steps are being taken to withdraw copyright notices so that the videos can be reinstated by social media platforms. The governing body acknowledged its mistake and thanked fans for their understanding.
As Scotland prepares to make its World Cup debut in 2026, many have been celebrating on social media, sharing clips of goals scored during the historic 4-2 win over Denmark. Fans are now able to continue doing so after Uefa's decision to reinstate the videos.
The qualification marks a long-awaited return for Scottish football, with the side last competing at the World Cup in 1998.
, but I've gotta say, it's still a bit sus how they went about it initially... like, what's the point of protecting your own content if you're gonna take down fans' celebration vids? It's just common sense, right? 
But hey, at least they owned up to their mistake and apologized. That takes some guts (or at least, some PR team that can spin it right 
). I'm still a bit miffed about the whole thing, but I get why fans were upset β who doesn't love seeing happy fans celebrating on social media? 
Now let's focus on Scotland's World Cup debut in 2026... fingers crossed they do some damage! 
. Like, it's just people celebrating their team winning a match! You'd think Uefa would be happy to see that kind of enthusiasm for their sport 
. But nope, they had to go and claim copyright on fans' own videos. That's just weird 
. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to take down clips of people having fun in bars? 
. I'm glad the Scottish FA spoke up and called them out on this though 
. And yay, now fans can share their celebratory vids without any drama 
.
Like, aren't they allowed to celebrate in private? 
. Can't Uefa just chill and let people enjoy themselves? 
. Now, let's get ready for Scotland to make some waves at the World Cup in 2026 
!
Can't they just chill out and let the fans celebrate?
. I bet if they had a fan in their shoes, they'd be all about sharing those clips and celebrating with the nation. It's time to put people over profits, you know? 
. I mean, who doesn't love a good viral video of fans celebrating? It's not like those clips were hurting anyone or anything. Uefa was being super harsh and it's awesome that they're backing down now 
I'm so glad Uefa has finally seen sense and apologized for their mistake! Those clips of fans celebrating were just happy moments that shouldn't have been taken down 
I feel for the Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) for having to deal with this mess - they did nothing wrong 
Lesson learned, though: Uefa needs to brush up on their content protection policy! 
Uefa just got roasted 
and rightfully so... I mean, who tries to take down videos of fans celebrating their team's qualification? It's a massive overreach by the organisation. They're basically saying no one can share happy moments from a sporting event without permission... what's next? Asking fans for permission to cheer on their own team?! 
. On the bright side, it's great that the Scottish fans can finally share those awesome vids 
now we can celebrate our team's qualification for the world cup without any issues 
the joy of celebrating with friends is something everyone should be able to enjoy without any restrictions 
. It's like they forgot that football is all about the passion and love for the game 
. Bring on the World Cup 2026, Scotland! 
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anyway, this is a great time for scottish football! they get to make their debut in 2026 and i'm sure the fans are super hyped 
. glad they apologized tho 
.
. Uefa's explanation just sounded like a bunch of corporate jargon 
. I'm glad they've apologized and are going to reinstate the videos though 
.
. They're making their World Cup debut in 2026 and people are super stoked 
. Oh well, I guess you can't win 'em all 
ufa was being super harsh on scotland fans celebrating their world cup qualification lol they took down all those vids of ppl having a party in bars and stuff and now its all back to normal