A MEMBER of Scotland’s Tartan Army has been nominated for Fifa’s fan of the year award after trekking from Glasgow to Munich for charity.
Craig Ferguson walked for 37 days to get from Scotland’s largest city to the opening game of Euro 2024, which saw hosts Germany play Scotland.
His “mammoth” effort raised more than £78,000 for the men’s mental health charity Brothers in Arms.
READ MORE: ‘They want to leave a positive mark’: Portuguese journalist praises Tartan Army
Announcing his nomination for their fan of the year award, Fifa said: “This Scotland fan took the long way round to Uefa Euro 2024, walking 1000 miles (1609km) from Glasgow to Munich to raise money for mental health charity Brothers in Arms.
“Ferguson’s mammoth 37-day journey took him through Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and finally Germany, where he took in the Tartan Army’s opening game against the hosts. In total, he raised more than £78,000 for the charity.”
In June 2023, eight-year-old Guilherme Gandra Moura, from Brazil, woke up from a 16-day coma which followed him falling ill with pneumonia.
Moura, who suffers from a rare genetic condition known as epidermolysis bullosa, was joined in recovery by Vasco da Gama player Gabriel Pec. He was chosen to be the team’s mascot for a game in August 2023, and was also nominated for the Fifa award.
READ MORE: Beer sales in Scotland fell as Tartan Army travelled to Germany
Jose Armando Guzman Mendoza is the third nominee. A supporter of Mexico’s Cruz Azul. Mendoza was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of five.
Fifa said he “tackled his illness head on with courage and bravery for nine years, inspiring a nation and a football club”. The young boy passed away on April 23, aged 14.
During the Euro 2024 competition, the Tartan Army won regular praise for their behaviour, with viewers of the German news channel RTL voting them as the best supporters at the contest.
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