Scottish soccer fans, known as the Tartan Army, won't have to leave a key part of their national dress at the World Cup turnstiles after all. Following talks with FIFA and tournament organizers, the Scottish Football Association says supporters will be allowed to wear sporrans—the traditional pouches worn with kilts—into stadiums at this summer's World Cup in North America, as long as they pass standard security checks, the Telegraph reports. The decision comes after bag rules at US venues threatened to sideline the accessory.
Stadium policies in Boston and Miami, where Scotland will face Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil in the first round, restrict large bags to clear plastic within tight size limits, and non-transparent small bags to dimensions smaller than many sporrans. Without an exemption, some fans expected to be told to stash or surrender them outside. An SFA spokesperson said FIFA had confirmed sporrans would be permitted and that match-day staff would be briefed before fans arrive in Boston and Miami. The compromise comes as the Scotland squad itself opts for tailored suits instead of kilts and sporrans on match days, a departure from the team's last World Cup appearance in 1998.
Tartan Army veteran Hamish Husband tells the BBC he never doubted that FIFA would allow sporrans. "The Tartan Army are well-known and the sporran is part of our uniform," he says. "Our sporrans will contain our match tickets and hope—that's all we want to smuggle into the stadiums. When we arrive anywhere in the world, the kilt and the sporran are a sign of friendship."
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