Good Morning Britain: Susanna Reid sparks hundreds of Ofcom complaints over remarks about Scottish World Cup bank holiday
Susanna made some comments about Scotland's first World Cup gameSusanna Reid has sparked hundreds of Ofcom complaints after comments on Good Morning Britain about Scotland’s bank holiday for its first World Cup game.
The row began after Scottish fans were given a bank holiday on Monday to mark the country’s clash with Haiti. The 2026 World Cup kicked off on June 11.
The match kicked off at 2am UK time because of the time difference in Boston, and many supporters would have struggled to watch it live and still get to work the next day.
As a result, tens of thousands of public sector workers got the day off. Some schools also closed for the day.
Susanna Reid’s Good Morning Britain comments on Scotland bank holiday
Susanna called the move “outrageous” on the ITV morning show after Scotland beat Haiti 1-0. She said: “It’s really outrageous. I mean, how long does it take Scots to get over the fact that they’ve played their first match?”
She then appeared to soften the remark, adding: “My Scottish ancestors would be turning in their graves, I can only apologise.”
Susanna continued: “Let me say, it’s outrageous that not everyone in Scotland has got today off as a bank holiday.”
Later, Susanna said: “My Scottish ancestors would be turning in their graves, I can only apologise. Let me say, it’s outrageous that not everyone in Scotland has got today off as a bank holiday.”
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According to Metro, the comments have now drawn 508 Ofcom complaints. The watchdog confirmed the complaints related to the discussion about Scotland’s World Cup bank holiday.
Why the remarks divided viewers
Some viewers agreed with Susanna at the time. One social media user asked: “Why the hell has Scotland got a bank holiday just because they played football on Sunday morning????”
However, others strongly disagreed. One X user called the reaction “sour grapes” and wrote: “Hope they apologise after being petty the other day because Scotland got a bank holiday due to qualification to the World Cup.”
The debate followed Scotland’s qualification for the North American tournament. Shortly after that, First Minister John Swinney said the day after Scotland’s first game should be a national bank holiday.
He said: “We want to make the most of Scotland’s participation in this global sporting event by ensuring people have the opportunity to come together and celebrate – no matter the outcome of the match.”
He added: “That is why I proposed making the Monday following our opening game in Boston a national bank holiday.”
What happened after Scotland’s World Cup opener
The bank holiday later received approval from King Charles. However, businesses were left to decide whether staff should have the day off.
The decision clearly struck a nerve with some viewers, while others saw it as a fair reward for a rare sporting moment. Therefore, Susanna’s comments quickly became part of a wider argument about national pride, football, and workplace expectations.
Representatives for ITV have been contacted for comment.
