Scotland fans ‘thousands out of pocket’ after Euro 2024 travel firm collapses

SCORES of Tartan Army footsoldiers were left thousands of pounds out of pocket by an English travel firm that went bust.

Supporters forked out for bus, ticket and hotel packages from Birmingham based Football Road Trips Ltd.

But just days before the Munich kick-off the firm cancelled the bookings and announced their liquidation.

Fans have now been frantically dealing with insurers to help claw back their cash after the crushing disappointment of eleventh-hour cancellations.

One group of pals stumped up £15,000 for their trip.

Builder, Craig Allan, 45, from Turriff, booked a package with the firm in December for 13 of his mates.

He said: “Absolutely raging is an understatement. It was like a bucket list tick, seeing Scotland opening a European tournament and it’s just been robbed from us.

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“The trip came and went. We watched the game from home. We got no phone calls, just an email saying the trips weren’t happening.

“They’ve promised us refunds, but I very much doubt we are going to get them. I’ve chased my bank but they’ve said because I went away with them before they’re not going to refund me.”

Paul Scoular, from Glasgow, and his two pals paid more than £3000 for their package to Munich for the opening game against the hosts.

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He said: “The lack of communication from them is shocking. They were quick to send reminders about upcoming payments, but there has been no response to anyone’s emails after they told us the trips were cancelled.

“We booked up after seeing a post saying they had taken over the previous company that organised football road trips to Germany and Holland.

“On the 10th of June, three days before the trip, we received an email saying the trip was cancelled. I haven’t heard from them since, despite emailing and chasing for a refund.

“I honestly don’t see the company issuing refunds based on what other people have said. Some are saying they have not received refunds for trips that were cancelled over a year ago.”

They eventually forked out extra cash to travel to Munich after the last-minute cancellation from the travel firm.

Bosses have since vowed to repay customers, blaming spiralling costs since the Covid pandemic on the firm’s closure.

Elsewhere, Ryan Kemp, from Edinburgh, splashed £3000 on a three-night stay in Cologne for his dad and seven-year-old son.

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He said “We were gutted. I booked it back in December when all of their Facebook posts looked good. The owner phoned me himself and he sounded very convincing. The reviews on trustpilot were great at the time too.

“I’ve been blocked by the page and the owner since then. I managed to get a refund from my bank and PayPal, but others are struggling.
“It’s disappointing. A fantastic trip where we could have made great memories with family and friends has been ruined.”

In a statement, the firm, now rebranded as European Football Experiences, said: “It is with great regret that Football Road Trips Ltd announces its liquidation following continued spiralling costs since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Over the past months and years, the travel industry has been particularly hard hit, and we, like many other businesses, have found it impossible to survive.”

In response to The Scottish Sun, the company added: “The company is going into liquidation and we no longer sell tours. We are refunding customers and closing the business.”