Scots dad goes viral after telling son's school he's going to be off watching Tartan Army

An Edinburgh dad has gone viral after admitting to his son's school the reason why he's keeping him off during the 2024 Euros Championships.

Iain Meiklejohn, 48, who has been part of the Tartan Army for the last 30 years, emailed his 12-year-old son's school to let them know that he won't be attending classes as he's taking him to watch his country play in Germany.

Tour guide Iain said Aleks now also follows the club across the world after following in his dad's footsteps and does not want to miss the team playing in a ‘proper’ major tournament.

Broomhall Dad Iain, who is also father to Lori, 25, said Aleks has travelled to 24 countries at the age of 12, having taken in the World Cup Final in Russia, and has also travelled to Euros and World Cups to watch his wife Iwona’s native Poland.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Iain said the minute they knew that Scotland qualified they were already planning to go to Germany.

“A quote that has always stuck with me is ‘football is not about winning or losing, it is about who you are watching it with’ and that has always stuck in my head,” Iain said. “Following Scotland together has been amazing- it is massive for us.

“I’m a Dundee United fan but Aleks is a Hearts fan so we don’t have that club bond, if we go to Dundee Utd vs Hearts then we are sat at opposite ends and it can be a bit awkward. When we follow Poland I want them to win for him and his mum but it is not in my blood.

“But with Scotland it is us together supporting the same team. I’ve been in the Tartan Army for almost 30 years with my first Euros being in 1996.

“I’ve been here, there and everywhere following Scotland. Aleks come along and he loves it, it is our thing now.

“His mum Iwona is Polish and so we have been abroad following them in Russia and elsewhere for World Cups and Euros. But in my opinion this is the first proper tournament that Scotland have been that Aleks will have gone to.

“I don’t count the last one as a proper Euros as Covid was going on and all the pubs were shut with a bunch of restrictions. This time we will be going to a proper footballing country with no limitations.

“We’ve both been looking forward to it since the minute we qualified and are excited to just get out there now. We went to all the home games as we got the match package and last year we headed out to Norway and Spain.

“I didn't even have to tell him that we were going, he knew that if we qualified, then we would be there.”

Iain booked them both up the minute the draw was carried out with the father and son planning to fly out to Frankfurt on Thursday June 12.

From there they will take the train down to Munich where they will watch the opening match at the Allianz before making their way back to Frankfurt for two or three nights and then onto Cologne for the second game.

Making sure that Aleks is also getting an educational trip, Iain says they will spend a couple of nights in Heidelberg where they will learn about the culture and the country before heading to the last game in Cologne.

Leaving nothing to chance, Iain says he has booked the extra time off work in case Scotland succeed in getting out of the groups and going on a run, with the dad ready to book new flights to ensure they do not miss a match in Germany.

On Scotland’s chances, he added: “We were a lot more confident a couple of weeks ago but then the injuries hit. Saying that, we are still confident in our chances, if you aren’t then what is the point in going.

“Although we have been to 11 tournaments throughout his life and Poland and Scotland have never been through to the knockouts.”

Iain says he has no anxiety taking Aleks out of school for the trip as he has done so in the past without having any issues.

“I think in England it is a lot more frowned upon but there have not been issues in the past when we have gone to World Cups and Euros,” he continued. “It is also going to be an educational trip as we will be learning about different cultures while building memories for life.

“He is only 12 and he has been to 24 countries including Brazil and Russia. This is nothing new for him.”

In his email to the school, which was shared on X, Iain comically said: “I am just writing to inform you that Aleks Meiklejohn will not be attending school from Thursday June 13 until whenever Scotland are eliminated from Euro 2024.

"We will be going on an educational trip through Germany visiting several cities where we will study the extreme emotional highs and lows that only a Scotland fan goes through.

“I will ensure Aleks completes a report on his return in full detail. M’on Scotland.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh City Council said: "Any unauthorised absence would be dealt with in line with the Council’s policy on this.”

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