Ahead of the 2021 European Football Championship final, Scottish newspaper The National put an ironic cover on a major problem facing Great Britain.

Glasgow – With flowing mane, battle gear and face painting in the light blue national color of Scotland, many Scots looked up to read the newspaper on Saturday (10.07.2021) (10.07.2021) Italy national coach Roberto Mancini appeared as Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace in the film “Braveheart” from the front page of The National newspaper. Further calls: “Save us, Roberto! You are our last hope.” Some smiled at the photo montage, while many English media read it as a national disgrace to England. The cover of the newspaper was not mainly about the rivalry between Scotland and England on the football field.

The problem that the Scottish newspaper, which also openly supported the country’s aspirations for independence in the north of Great Britain, wanted to point out, is rooted in the tradition of the British media. They traditionally reported from an English point of view and thus ensured that compatriots from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland did not feel under-represented. This was evident not least in the wave of criticism that the Scottish newspaper received from journalists for the BBC, for example – because here you felt you were personally being attacked by the Schott people.

Scottish newspaper with “Braveheart” cover: the English media is criticizing

Some representatives of the British media world were also outraged that neighbors in the north could cross their fingers for the Italian national team instead of their own compatriots under the flag of England. The National, for example, quotes Susannah Reid, who hosted the Sunday breakfast television “Good Morning Britain”: “I know many people attacked the front page, after all, the football of the English team Great Britain. is best represented for. offer.”

Such reactions are a problem, with the National’s editorial team responding in their reporting on the reactions from England: “The fact that Scotland and Wales were also part of the tournament and were able to represent themselves was apparently ignored. went”. Clear expectation of the shot: The English national team should be backed in the European Championship final against Italy, from the England-focused media.

In a press conference before the game, Mancini himself commented on the controversial cover: “I love the front page,” said the 56-year-old, who has coached the Italian national team since 2018. But: “We have to play a good game, now our only focus. After all, it is about a football game,” said the Italian national coach. To the British media scene, however, England’s dominance after the European Championship final The struggle continues for: regardless of who wins the match on Sunday evening.(Sandra Kathe)