GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 19: SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell (L) and SFA president Mike Mulraney during a Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Semi-Final match between Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen at Hampden Park, on April 19, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
The SFA can pack their bags and prepare for the long flight home from the World Cup Finals.
Two feeble performances against Morocco and Brazil left Steve Clarke’s side in third place in Group C.
Eight of the 12 third placed sides will advance to the knock-out stage but one by one they have all improved on Scotland’s third placed finish.
First up on Wednesday/Thursday Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Korea achieved better third placed finishes, Bosnia-Herzegovina going through on four points.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H8dnT6i03BQ?feature=share
Thursday/Friday was just as bad for the SFA blazers as they continued to hammer their expenses accounts.
First up Ecuador came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 to finish their group on four points.
Overnight Australia and Paraguay drew 2-2 to finish second and third with four points. Bottom placed Turkey finished on three points with a -2 goal difference, better than Scotland but out of the tournament due to the draw between the two other sides in the group.
In the early hours of the morning Sweden drew 1-1 with Japan to finish in third place with four points.
Croatia and Algeria are already above Scotland in the third placed table going into their final matches. Draws will see both of them through knocking Scotland down into eighth and final place in that category.
That leaves four groups to be decided. Scotland require all four of them to finish in their favour to limp into the Round of 32.
SFA FALLS SILENT
Throughout Thursday there was no word out of the Scotland camp other than a brief round up from Gordon Duncan centered on the brilliance of the Tartan Army.
Media smoothies Darryl Broadfoot and Duncan have been feeding content out over the last three weeks.
Now they will have their work cut out as open season begins on Steve Clarke.
His quickly ended ‘flash interview’ with Eilidh Barbour had contempt stamped all over it.
In the all in media conference Clarke snapped at Keith Jackson, strongly denying that he was prickly. Apparently a favoured term used by Jackson to describe the Scotland boss.
Later Clarke decided to bring up the claim that the squad were responsible for giving the Scottish media a World Cup trip. Factually accurate but something that will crank up the hostility to the current Scotland boss.
Gordon Duncan will be able to shoot down any criticism of the SFA on Radio Clyde’s Super Scoreboard.
But managing to be one of the 16 teams eliminated at the first round from the biggest ever World Cup is hard to spin as an achievement.
Which is sort of typical of the SFA where Willie Collum is Head of Refereeing while President Mike Mullraney photo bombs Gianni Infantino of FIFA. Mike is a big lad.
8 minutes
This group of players qualified, that’s why the Scottish journalists are here, otherwise we’d do what we always do, we’d be sitting on the sofa.
And with that the media conference was ended.
That final dig will ensure Clarke is constantly criticised going ahead.
Tom English will be taking a different flight home from his BBC colleagues.
It’s a bit much when you get called prickly by a prick.
Time for mullraney and maxwell to leave. They are the cause of failure , year on year.
Those members of the SFA posse and the entire administration of Scottish football should be sacked and disbanded for gross incompetency … a completely unfit for purpose organisation who are way , way past it’s sell by date ! A new Governing body should be installed ASAP ! Not only that , but that ‘shit hole and a half ‘ known as Hampden Park- our national stadium – should be razed to the ground and money found from somewhere to build a modern 21st Century football stadium like most countries have . Seeing the incredible Gillette and Miami stadiums being used for our WC games in the USA and then comparing them with Hampden tells me we are light years off the pace not only in playing football but in the sub standard arena where we play football . It’s humiliating comparing them all . Embarrassing ! The Tartan Army deserve better ….
IF the SFA / Maxwell had any sense…
The announced 4 year contract given to Clarke BEFORE the WC has not yet been signed?
It could have been announced as ‘positive’ PR spin before the squad left for America?
Or, could there be a break clause for a short period after the WC?
If neither, then the SFA is even more inept than we thought.
Tony B @ 10.46am…
Very good indeed buddy !
Good on him (Clarke) for giving it to The Scummy’s !
Watching this the main thing that comes to mind is … Radar asked the first question then got to ask a further one later on . Now I have filmed countless press conferences from all levels of football AND it is unheard of for the SAME journalist to be given the microphone on more than one occasion ESPECIALLY as it would be the DISCRETION of the press officer who would Green light such a decision. So I am sure afterwards either Clarke or the bigwigs of SFA will be questioning WHY Radar was allowed to break protocol?