Scotland’s World Cup Joy Took an Unexpected Turn
So, let me walk you through this remarkable, funny, and slightly alarming story that captures just how deep the love for Scottish football can run. It all begins with a classic question many of us have debated in pubs over the years: “Would you give up a finger if it meant Scotland qualified for the World Cup?” For BBC entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson, that hypothetical came shockingly close to reality — and all because of a tiny badge and one glorious night for Scottish football.
Colin has been devoted to the national team for more than four decades, a passion rooted in family tradition and childhood magic. His great-great-grandfather helped survey Hampden Park when it opened in 1903, so supporting Scotland was practically a family inheritance. He still remembers being ten years old, walking hand-in-hand with his dad into a floodlit stadium for Scotland vs Iceland back in 1984. That night lit the spark, and he’s carried it with him around the world ever since.
But life changes. Work and family meant fewer matches in person, even though his heart never drifted. And then came the crucial qualifier against Denmark — a night every Scotland fan will remember. On that day, Colin had been reporting for the BBC on new ticket-resale policies, even sneaking an old Scotland Travel Club badge onto his coat. At some point, he lost the back of that badge, shoved it into his pocket, and later jabbed himself with it. It barely registered at the time, overshadowed by the anticipation of the match ahead.
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Then came that incredible game: Scotland 4, Denmark 2. Three world-class goals, pure euphoria, and a performance so un-Scottish in its confidence and control that fans scarcely believed what they were watching. Colin and his friend celebrated the way only lifelong supporters can — loud, joyful, and slightly disbelieving. It was the happiest Scotland had looked in decades.
But two days later, a small bruise appeared under his fingernail. That bruise turned into swelling. The swelling turned into pain. Then came the GP appointment, the antibiotics, the freezing night shoot with actors David Tennant and Danny Dyer — all while his finger throbbed like it had its own heartbeat. Eventually things became so alarming that he landed in hospital, where doctors murmured about serious infection risks, waivers were signed, and surgery was performed just twenty minutes before the day’s cut-off.
It all lasted eight minutes, yet it saved his finger. His nail is gone, the bandaging is dramatic, and the memory of doctors noting “a lot of pus” is one he’ll never escape. But he still has all ten fingers, and Scotland are headed to the 2026 World Cup — a trade-off he jokingly admits might almost have been worth it.
That infamous badge has now been sterilised and will be traveling with him to the USA next summer. Would he endure all of it again just to see Scotland reach the knockout stages? He says that’s when the real negotiations would begin.
And one final request from him: whatever you do — please don’t buy him Subbuteo for Christmas.
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