Scottish Football Fans Watch Penalties Through Window After Pub Shuts At 10pm

Football fans in Scotland watched their national team's penalty shoot-out through the windows of a pub after the game continued beyond curfew. You can watch the video here:

Covid-19 restrictions meant Nico's Cafe Bar in Glasgow had to kick out fans before the Scotland vs Israel game had reached its conclusion last night (Thursday 8 October), with the Euros play-off semi-final going all the way to penalties following a 0-0 draw.

Inevitably, the supporters did not feel inclined to go home until the match was decided, and footage showed fans celebrating wildly outside the pub after Kenny McLean scored the decisive spot-kick.

The pub posted the footage on Twitter and it has since been viewed more than 717,000 times.

The owner of Nico's Cafe Bar, Adam Coakley, said people left the pub easily enough, with a crowd of up to about 15 gathering for around 10 minutes for the dramatic climax to the game.

PA

Speaking to LADbible, he said: "The streets were really busy with everyone trying to watch the penalties on their phones. They weren't actually all our customers, there were some by-passers.

"We can't believe the response [to the video]. Most have seen the fun side of it but unfortunately some people can't see any fun in anything anymore.

"We did everything that was asked of us as a business and we can't control crowds outside our venue after we close."

Adam went on to criticise the way in which the government has treated the hospitality industry throughout the pandemic.

He said: "The 10pm curfew is a joke to be honest, it's killed the hospitality trade and I think it was always going to promote more crowds, etc. on streets at these times.

"I feel our trade has been unfairly targeted throughout this whole pandemic. It's sad to see."

Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants across central Scotland are to be closed from today (Friday 9 October) until Friday 25 October.

The closure applies to venues across Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, Lothian, and Ayrshire and Arran health board areas. Pubs and restaurants outside of these areas can only serve alcohol outdoors.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the restrictions are 'intended to be short, sharp action to arrest a worrying increase in infection'.

The government is expected to announce similar measures for the North of England on Monday.

Topics: Viral, SPORT, Football, Pubs, Coronavirus, Scotland

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey