KATE Forbes has said she would welcome a discussion with broadcasters to see if more Scotland men’s football team’s matches could be free to view on live TV.
This comes in the final days of the SNP leadership campaign as Forbes and her rivals, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan, make their last attempts to convince undecided SNP members to vote for them.
Westminster’s cross-party Scottish Affairs Committee also made a similar call for more free matches earlier this month.
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Chairman Pete Wishart, an SNP MP, said it was “not fair” that Scotland football fans were unable to watch the national men's team for free when viewers in England and Wales could watch theirs.
He said: "Scotland fans deserve to watch the national football team and I don't think it is beyond the wit of everybody to get round the table and design a way to do this.
"We are perhaps unique in the UK, and among a number of European nations, that fans do not get the opportunity to watch the national team without paying for vastly expensive subscriptions."
Scotland’s men’s team kick off their European Championship qualifying bid at home to Cyprus on March 25 at Hampden Park. The game, however, is only available to Viaplay subscribers.
Forbes argued that football is “more than just a sport” and said that there is a huge interest in following both the men’s and women’s national teams.
She added: “When fans with a freeview set can watch all of England’s games live, it does feel like we are getting a bit of a raw deal.
“That’s why I’d welcome a conversation with broadcasters to see what can be done to make more games available free to view.
“The cost of living crisis is having a huge impact upon every household across the country, and I wouldn’t be surprised if people felt they were being priced out by costly subscriptions. It’s a shame to have major games like tomorrow’s opener hidden behind a paywall.
“Though we also have to remember that an independent Scotland would have full powers over broadcasting and could decide on our own free to view ‘listed events’.”
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