Pubs call for World Cup extended opening hours

A hospitality industry body has called for extended opening hours to be put in place for Scotland's World Cup matches next summer.

Steve Clarke's side will face Haiti in their first fixture at the tournament for 28 years on 14 June, with kick off at 02:00 UK time.

Both other group matches, against Morocco on 19 June and Brazil on 24 June, get under way at 23:00 BST.

Health secretary Neil Gray said the government would work with local authorities to try to ensure supporters do not miss out.

The fixture schedule for the tournament, held in Canada, Mexico and the USA, was confirmed by Fifa at an event in Washington DC on Saturday.

Scotland will face Haiti and Morocco in Boston, Massachusetts, and five-time winners Brazil in Miami, Florida.

The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) described it as a "once-in-a-generation" event.

Paul Togneri, SBPA senior policy manager, said later licensing laws could provide a £3m boost to the hospitality industry.

But he said that was "at risk" due to current regulations, which vary across the country.

Mr Togneri said: "We need licensing boards to show flexibility and allow pubs to open their doors, that's why we're calling for temporary licensing statements for the whole of the tournament.

"People will rightly want to come together and celebrate, like they did a few weeks ago when we qualified.

"Let's make sure they can do that in a safe, regulated environment, and give our pubs a chance to benefit from this incredible occasion.

"No pubs, no party."

Local councils set pub opening hours through licensing boards.

Most pubs generally close between 23:00 and 01:00 during the week, but some are permitted to open later.

Other have extended opening hours during the weekend or during large-scale events, such as the Edinburgh Festival and Festival Fringe.

Appearing on BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show, Gray said pub opening hours were a matter for local authorities.

However, he added the Scottish government wanted to "give everyone the opportunity to enjoy and celebrate" the team's participation in the tournament for the first time since 1998.

He said: "In Scotland, clearly, the licensing decisions are made by local authorities.

"But, of course, we are going to be working with them to try to make sure that people are able to enjoy the celebration as Scotland get out of the group of death with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti."