The Tartan Army appear to have been given the green light to “go cone crazy” with statues in Miami, after a city commissioner spoke to fans in the US city.
Rolando Escalon, who is the commissioner for Miami’s District 3, has been telling fans he does not object to the Scottish tradition.
It comes after Chris Nicoll, from St Andrews, provoked the ire of local officers on Sunday when he tried to crown a statue with a cone in the Little Havana area of the city.
A video which has been viewed thousands of times online shows him scaling a pedestal which supports a statue of the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León.
As soon as he places an orange traffic cone on the head of the statue, a nearby police car blares its horn and somebody shouts “get off of there” before he climbs down.
During the Tartan Army’s time in Boston, fans crowned many statues and other objects with traffic cones, echoing the one which famously sits on the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow.
The Massachusetts capital took to the tradition with good humour, with even the mayor of Boston placing a cone on the head of a statue depicting basketball legend Bill Russell.
Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Nicoll said he explained to the police officer that he did not intend to be “disrespectful” to the Tartan Army’s American hosts.
A day later, Mr Nicoll said a Miami commissioner came to Little Havana to give Scotland fans his “blessing” – and to place a cone on a statue himself.
He told the Press Association on Monday: “Today we had the commissioner of Miami come to Little Havana and put a cone on here, and then give us a blessing.
“He apologised for yesterday and said ‘all bets are off, go cone crazy'”.
As he spoke Mr Nicoll gestured behind him to a statue of a chicken with a cone on its head, which he said had been put there by the commissioner.
Another Scotland fan has posted on Instagram, showing Mr Escalona next to a chicken statue with a cone on its head.
When a Scotland fan asks if they can now put cones up, Mr Escalona replies: “Yes sir, we are here to support you guys.
“We are so happy. Welcome to Little Havana, we hope you have fun today. I know you will.”
Mr Nicoll and one of his friends decided to travel to the US at the last minute for the Scotland v Morocco game, paying £900 each for tickets to the match.
They made an equally impulsive decision to head to Miami, where Scotland will play Brazil on Wednesday evening.
He also said the atmosphere in Miami has been “brilliant” despite the sweltering heat.
The Miami police department has been approached for comment.
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