Bagpipe ban a lot of hot air?

Scottish fans have urged World Cup organisers to lift a ban on bagpipes at stadiums in New Zealand, accusing overzealous officials of ruining the tournament’s atmosphere.

Scotland supporter Matt Strachan launched a Facebook page to overturn the ban after being told by New Zealand police that he would be ejected from match venues if he played the pipes he brought with him from Aberdeenshire.

“After spending considerable money getting to New Zealand to support my country I was shocked to hear bagpipes were not allowed in the stadiums,” he told The Scotsman newspaper.

“I’ve played the pipes in most of the UK stadiums and also in France during the last World Cup and they have always been gratefully received. Why then after many sporting years have the World Cup organisers decided against having them in stadiums?”

Tournament organisers have a long list of items banned from stadiums, such as umbrellas, vuvuzelas, gang insignia, flagpoles longer than 80 centimetres and, somewhat bizarrely, car parts.

Musical instruments are among the prohibited items, explaining the bagpipe ban.

Strachan’s Facebook page had more than 500 supporters early on Tuesday, with comments overwhelmingly calling for the ban to be dropped and blaming it on “sassenachs and numpties”.

Strachan said he was advocating “responsible” bagpipe playing and did not want to drown out entire games in a monotonous drone, as the vuvuzelas did at last year’s football World Cup in South Africa.

He denied the pipes were a distraction to players during the game, saying many were on public record as saying they loved the atmosphere they created.

He also pointed out that New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw, who is of Scottish descent, was himself a keen bagpipe player who had played the instrument at charity functions.

Scotland’s Sports Minister Shona Robison has reportedly weighed into the bagpipe row, writing to tournament officials requesting the “oversight” be corrected.

Scotland’s kicking coach Duncan Hodge was also outspoken on the bagpipes matter saying: “I think the Scots would be a bit gutted if they were (banned). Guys would rather have bagpipes than not, put it that way. When you arrive at the ground and are warming up, you quite like to hear the sound of bagpipes.

“The Argentineans I’d imagine would have all kinds of support, so it would be nice to cancel that out with a few bagpipes,” he added.

AFP