The greatest Tartan Army party set to go again for Euros

Sean Connery has a ball at the party in Paris before the World Cup in 1998.

It was the Tartan Army party to end all Tartan Army parties.

On a hot summer’s night in Paris in 1998, one of the greatest gatherings of famous Scots ever assembled met in the city’s Buddha-Bar the evening before the opening match of the World Cup, when Scotland played Brazil.

The festivities – which featured Sean Connery dancing, Alex Ferguson wearing a Viking helmet and Ally McCoist singing Bruce Springsteen songs – has gone down in legend and is an “I was there” moment for those who were lucky enough to be in attendance.

Now the organisers of that famous evening are doing it all over again, this time in Munich, the night before Scotland open this year’s European Championships against hosts Germany.

And they promise another unforgettable night is in store.

Tartan Army party

Household names including Sir Alex, McCoist, Travis, Amy Macdonald, Martin Compston, Fred MacAulay and David Coulthard will be in attendance, while it is hoped stars like Rod Stewart can also make it to the party in venue Isarpost on June 13.

Renowned photographer David Yarrow and businessman Ian Falconer, who both organised the 1998 party, have teamed up with expat Morgan Zuill to put on the event, which will raise £100,000 for the Street Soccer Scotland charity.

David said: “We all felt 1998 would be a one-off, but when the draw was made and Scotland were in the opening match against the hosts, we called each other and said, ‘Come on, let’s do it’. The world will be watching this game.

“Morgan is from Falkirk but works in the Munich brewing industry, so he has a lot of contacts in the city and helped us find the venue.”

When David thinks back to that night in Paris, there are a couple of moments which stand out.

He said: “The best memories I have – and a lot of people who were there don’t have any memories due to being a little over-served – are of Alex Ferguson coming on to the stage and announcing the team while wearing Viking horns, and of Sean Connery dancing.

“I had breakfast with Sean the next day. He had two hours’ sleep but still looked fantastic, while I looked dreadful. But I guess that’s why he was James Bond.

“Ally McCoist talks about singing Bruce Springsteen songs and having Kenny Dalglish and Ewan McGregor on backing vocals. A lot of people who were there will be at this one. Ally and Fred MacAulay were an integral part of it 26 years ago and they will be hosting this one.

“We have a lot of ex-Scottish footballers coming – Alex McLeish, Alex Ferguson, Gary McAllister. Pat Nevin will be the DJ.”

A night of music

While Ally might be inspired to give the crowd another Springsteen rendition, there will be plenty of professional musicians there, too.

“We were light on music 26 years ago but we won’t be this time,” David continued. “We have Skerryvore, Amy Macdonald, Johnny Mac, who is Rod Stewart’s support act, and hopefully Rod will be there. He hasn’t promised to sing, but I want it to be an inclusive event and I can’t believe he won’t be there without getting up to give us Maggie May.

“Travis are playing with The Killers in Dublin the night before and the night after, so they are flying over especially to play the party on their day off.

“Many of Scotland’s finest actors are filming in June, sadly, but I am trying hard to get Gerry Butler there. If not, I know he will do a video message. He’s a Paisley boy and loves this kind of stuff, but he is filming in Reading that day.

“It’s great to have a lot of Scots who run big businesses there, too. I couldn’t have done it without the help of people like Tom Hunter and The Hunter Foundation. I have learned a great deal from Tom about how to raise money at events like this.”

David Yarrow will put his famous Maradona photograph up for auction at the party in Munich.

One of the most in-demand fine-art photographers in the world, David has established the David Yarrow Family Foundation. Since 2018, the Glaswegian’s work has raised more than £10 million for philanthropic and conservation organisations.

He continued: “The walls will be decorated with massive canvases of special moments in Scottish football history, like Archie Gemmell scoring against Holland, Joe Jordan against Czechoslovakia and James McFadden against France. The whole night will be a celebration of our moments of glory.”

Also on display will be David’s famous picture of Diego Maradona holding aloft the World Cup after Argentina won the tournament in 1986, his famous Hand of God goal helping to knock out England in the quarter-finals.

He said: “We will auction off my Maradona picture, which I think is maybe the third highest-selling sports photograph of all time – the first and second are both of Muhammad Ali. We think we can put the Maradona picture up on the wall since it’s a Scotland party!”

Charity tie-in

While the main event is sold out, David is making 120 tickets available to the public for an after-party in the same venue, with entry from midnight and with the stars still in attendance.

Street Soccer Scotland, a charity that uses football-inspired training to help people affected by social exclusion, will receive £100,000 from the event.

“Alex Ferguson is the charity’s patron and Scotland captain Andy Robertson is its ambassador,” David added. “We thought it was the appropriate charity.”

Street Soccer Scotland’s founder and CEO David Duke said: “I spoke to David last week and he told me about wanting to have a celebration but also giving it a bigger purpose by helping a Scottish charity.

“The money raised from the event will help us to help some of Scotland’s most vulnerable adults and young people. It’s a nice thing for David to do. We’re really honoured and excited that we’ve been chosen to be part of it, and hopefully everyone has a great time in the build-up to a momentous game.

“As well as a great night out for everyone who goes, it’s an opportunity to use football to make a difference.”

Priced at £150, the tickets can be purchased from DYFFMunich@gmail.com