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Twice Brazil have staged the World Cup Finals and on both occasions Scotland failed to appear. However there has been one occasion when the word Escosia has been included in a tournament programme – back in 1972 when Scotland were invited to take part in a 20 team competition celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Brazilian Declaration of Independence.

Scotland, managed by Tommy Docherty and skippered by Billy Bremner were drawn in the same group as hosts Brazil plus Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia – two artificially created countries that are no longer with us but whose independent successor states have mostly done rather well football-wise.

Anyway, Scotland [with two goals from Lou Macari] drew their opening match 2-2 with Yugoslavia in Belo Horizonte – the same city in which our good friends England came a cropper against their former American colonists at the 1950 World Cup. We also drew our second game, 0-0 with Czechoslovakia in Porto Alegre to go into the deciding match against Brazil undefeated. Alas, a goal from Jairzinho ten minutes from time in front of 130,000 in Rio’s Maracana Stadium meant that Scotland were home before the postcards.[Copyright T.Docherty].

If we ever get a second shot at a Referendum why don’t we vote Yes just so as to enable us to organise our own Independence Football Tournament. That way, if Scotland can’t go to Brazil , then Brazil [and others] can come to Scotland .

Robert Marshall

First posted on Facebook on April 13th, 2015