Euro 2020: With Scotland, Germany and Austria all out, I'll be delighted if England beats plucky Denmark and in-form Italy – Angus Robertson MSP

All of my teams are sadly out of the Euro 2021 football competition.

Gareth Southgate's team is easier to support than previous English national sides, says Angus Robertson (Picture: Lars Baron/pool photograph via AP)

My native land, Scotland, sadly didn’t make it to the knock-out stages and, as a half-German, my next international side didn’t make it much further, while Austria, where I lived for a decade, put up a good quarter-final fight against Italy but succumbed also.

Now the question is who to support in the final stages of the competition?

There is much media commentary as to whether Scotland fans should get behind England after their impressive demolition of Ukraine.

Given the inspirational leadership by the most likeable and inspiring England manager I can remember and a lack of hubris and entitlement by Gareth Southgate’s players, supporting England will be a great deal easier than past competitions.

However, plucky Denmark who face England in the semi-finals tomorrow also have a lot of affinities for Scottish fans. A fellow northern European nation also with five million inhabitants, they have already shown they are good enough to win the Euros, having defeated Germany in the 1992 final.

How about Italy? Most commentators seem to have them picked as most likely competition winner having gone an amazing 32 games without defeat. They also have a strong record against England, winning in the 2014 quarter-finals and the 2016 World Cup group stages.

I, for one, will enjoy all of the remaining matches, without having a team of my own left in the competition. If England wins though, I will be delighted for my English friends and relations.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary

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