Imagine transporting a humongous flag all the way from Cumbria to the United States with the intention of displaying it proudly at England’s World Cup games, only to be told by Fifa that said flag would be banned from all of the tournament’s venues.

Such has been the fate of a group of Barrow AFC supporters who, as required, sought permission from Fifa to bring their flag of St George, which features Barrow’s crest, to England’s games.

Now, the list of items banned from World Cup stadiums includes the likes of weapons, explosives, golf umbrellas, motorcycle helmets, permanent marker pens, frisbees, bicycles and skateboards, but flags are grand. Unless they display “military or weaponry images”. And what features on the crest of Barrow AFC? A silhouette of a submarine, the town renowned for making the things.

Also, incidentally, the crest features a bee and an arrow and if it wasn’t for Wikipedia we actually wouldn’t have got that this means: B-arrow. Morto.

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Any way, the fans are peeved, although Fifa have told them that if they cover up the submarine, the flag will be allowed in. (This being the Fifa that allows US military flyovers at World Cup venues.)

“It’s harsh,” one of the group, John Little, said to the BBC. “It’s not like you can go down to the local Walmart and buy a submarine.” It being America, though, you wouldn’t be hugely surprised if you could.

It would be fair to say that Scotland’s fans had a very, very good time in Boston where they were based for their first two group games, to the point where the Daily Mail predicted a “baby boom” in the city in, eh, nine months’ time.

They’ve moved on now to Miami for their final group game against Brazil, prompting The Boston Globe to publish this full-page letter to the Tartan Army.

The Boston Globe has dedicated a full page in today's edition to the Tartan Army 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇺🇸

The letter in Boston's largest newspaper reads: "Dear Tartan Army,

"You came for the World Cup, but gave us something more.

"For a week, you turned train stations into singalongs, Fenway… pic.twitter.com/OkTxKaQ9Ur— The Herald (@heraldscotland) June 20, 2026

“You came for the World Cup, but gave us something more. For a week, you turned train stations into singalongs, Fenway into a football ground, and an ordinary June into something we’ll be talking about for years.”

“Boston has hosted championships, parades, and celebrations of every kind. But we’ve never hosted guests quite like you all. Thank you for the laughter, the bagpipes, and the memories. The World Cup will move on. So will the songs, but we’ll never forget the joy you brought to our city.”

“In the first half I almost fell asleep. In the second half I fell asleep. There isn’t a lot to talk about. I’ll let my colleagues discuss this one.” – A decidedly bored Zlatan Ibrahimovic on nodding off during the Belgium v Iran game, thereby being unable to contribute a great deal to Fox Sports’ analysis of the game.

That’s the percentage of the $485 million (€424 million) they paid for World Cup broadcast rights that Fox Sports have already recouped with ads during hydration breaks. And there’s still a month to go.

“He is the Michael Jordan of football. There is no one to compare to him. For me, he’s incomparable. Incomparable. Almost inhuman.” – How much does Xavi love Lionel Messi? A lot.

“I’ve asked if we could play with three goalkeepers, but they said no.” – Iraq manager Graham Arnold on his request to Fifa ahead of meeting Kylian Mbappé (and France).

“At this level, to be the last defender, to miss a ball and then get sent off ... I’ve always said these players – and I’m not racist – but black players don’t have the concentration to last more than 60 to 80 minutes.” – Former Yugoslav international Rade Bogdanović, working on Serbian TV, giving his take on Nathan Ngoy’s sending off in the Belgium v Iran game. Nope, he’s not racist.

The luckiest man to still be alive? Probably Australian comedian Amos Gill, who filmed himself at the United States v Australia game in Seattle last Saturday directing a number of chants towards the hosts.

A flavour: “He’s one of your own, he’s one of your own, Jeffrey Epstein was one of your own.” And: “Stand up if your schools are safe, stand up if your schools are safe.” And: “You’re fat, and you know you are, you’re fat, and you know you are.” Oh Lord.

At least the all-singing Australian fans who celebrated their win over Turkey were on safer ground, according to the Daily Mail – they were in Vancouver while hollering “Aussie boys are on a bender, Donald Trump’s a sex offender.” Strewth.

Source: The Irish Times