Why are football fans not given alevel playing field?

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, the SNP MP said it was unfair that Scottish viewers could watch English international matches free of charge on ITV but have to pay Sky Sports to watch the Scottish national team play.

The Conservative Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage, Tracey Crouch, stuggled to answer the question but promised to send Mr Nicolson a written response.

He said: “I’m sure that the vast majority of right-minded people would agree that it is clearly iniquitous that Scots have to pay when English football fans can watch their national team free of charge. It was a very simple issue and I am struggling to understand why the minister found it so difficult to answer.

“I look forward to her written response with great interest.”