A Scottish newspaper has ignited controversy with its provocative front page calling on Spain to defeat England in the Euro 2024 final.

The National featured a front-page cartoon in its Saturday edition depicting Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri kicking an English tourist shaped like a football on a beach. The headline read, "Time For Revenge!" followed by, "Our message to Spain: Save us from an England win (or we’ll never hear the end of it)."

Beneath the headline, the paper included a brief message:

"Every summer they fill up your beaches. They drink all your beer. They make a mess of your plazas. They eat fried breakfasts all day instead of your wonderful food. They retire in your towns and sponge off your public services."

The message concluded with a Spanish sentence, "Ni siquiera se molestan en aprender el idioma!" which translates to, "They don’t even bother to learn the language!"

The longstanding rivalry between England and Scotland, especially in football, fueled reactions on social media from fans of both nations and Spain.

One user defended the headline, stating, "What’s wrong with banter? I mean most of the paragraph applies to Scots too. Take it with a pinch of salt. If we pull it off, they can have it back in spades. We won’t be letting them down when they say they’ll never hear the end of it!"

Others, however, found the front page offensive. One person tweeted, "@PoliceScotland does this meet the threshold under the Scottish government's hate speech law? It is clearly xenophobic towards English people."

A Spanish fan responded positively, "Thank you, Scotland! Be welcome to Spain this summer."

Despite differing opinions, the front page has clearly divided readers.

Scotland exited Euro 2024 in the group stages, finishing at the bottom of their group with only one point and scoring just two goals. Nevertheless, the rivalry between England and Scotland ensures that many Scots will root against England, regardless of their opponent. Photo by Wikimedia commons.