The National newspaper breaks silence on its ‘anti-English’ front page, declaring: ‘We were wrong about this’

A Scottish newspaper has broken its silence after publishing a “xenophobic” front page supporting Spain’s victory over England in the Euro final. Pro-Scexit newspaper The National has admitted it “made a mistake” after sparking controversy with its article on Saturday, which relied heavily on negative stereotypes of English travellers.

The Scottish Express newspaper revealed that the document had even been reported to Police Scotland for the page. However, police believe the document does not meet the criteria of the Hate Crime Act.

SNP supporters also condemned the newspaper, which showed an England fan being “knocked out” by Spanish star Rodri. It also called on the Spanish to “get revenge” on the English for the behaviour of some tourists.

The National newspaper ran the headline: “Revenge time! Our message to Spain: save us from an England victory (or we’ll never hear the end of it)”. Along with a photo of Manchester City star Rodri, the caption read: “Every summer they fill your beaches. They drink all your beer. They mess up your squares. They eat fried breakfasts all day instead of your wonderful food. They retreat to your cities and live off your public services.”

READ MORE: More Scots watched England’s Euro 2024 semi-final than Scotland’s opening game against Germany

READ MORE: Stephen Flynn mocks England after Euro 2024 defeat, putting aside antipathy towards Spain

The sentence ends: “Ni sequiera se molestan an aprender el idioma!”, which means “They don’t even bother to learn the language.” In a statement released Monday, The National said it likes to “have fun with less serious stories.”

The newspaper said it “wanted to make a light-hearted joke” ahead of Sunday’s final in Berlin, adding: “Our intention was to do something exaggerated and ironic. However, we admit that the front page did not deliver what we wanted to do.”