Cheeky father who took his son out of school for ‘educational trip’ to Germany ahead of Euro 2024 gives update on their progress
The Scotland fan who took his son out of school for ‘an educational journey through’ Germany‘ has provided an update on their progress with a tour of Frankfurt.
Iain Meiklejohn made headlines after sending a cheeky email to Forresters High School Edinburgh in which he explained why he took 12-year-old Aleks abroad.
And ahead of Scotland’s first match on Euro 2024 tonight against Germany, Mr Meiklejohn took to social media to reveal what they had been up to so far.
After flying yesterday, Mr Meiklejohn said he and Aleks took a tour of Frankfurt – visiting the Main Tower, looking at the skyline and playing ‘football pool’.
He wrote: ‘Today’s educational journey told us the following… – The main tower is 240 meters high. – Frankfurt is the only German city with a ‘skyline’. – Aleks has to practice ‘soccer pool’. -His measurements for finding the top corner are correct!’
Iain Meiklejohn takes a selfie with his 12-year-old son Aleks from the Main Tower in Frankfurt
Scotland fan Aleks has been picked up from school in Edinburgh to travel to Germany
Iain Meiklejohn took to social media to reveal what he and his son Aleks had been up to so far
It comes after he promised Aleks would produce a “fully detailed” report on what he called “the extremely emotional highs and lows that only a Scotland fan goes through.”
Mr Meiklejohn is among parents facing fines for taking their children out of school to watch the tournament in Germany.
While parents in Scotland do not face £60 fines for unauthorized absences, as in England, they can be issued ‘attendance orders’, ordering them to explain a child’s absence. Parents who do not provide a reasonable excuse could be fined up to £1,000.
Mr Meiklejohn and his son have previously attended the World Cups in Brazil in 2014 and Russia in 2018, but missed out on attending the showpiece final in Rio between Germany and Argentina after running into trouble with ticket sellers.
During his visit to Germany, Aleks played a game of ‘football pool’ in Frankfurt
Aleks also practiced his shooting skills during the visit to Germany with his father
Iain Meiklejohn and his son Aleks are seen at the airport before leaving for Germany yesterday
In the email sent to his son’s school earlier this week, Mr Meiklejohn wrote: ‘Hello! I am only writing to inform you that Aleks Meiklejohn will not be attending school from Thursday 13 June until Scotland is eliminated from the 2024 European Championship.
‘We will go on an educational journey through Germany, visiting several cities, where we will explore the extreme emotional highs and lows that only a Scotland fan goes through.
‘I will make sure Aleks completes a detailed report on his return. Go to Scotland!’
After posting a screenshot of the message to
Another user posted: ‘What an absolute legend! Funniest thing I’ve seen today.’
He was also told: ‘Good luck to you both, mate! The memories you will make with him will last a lifetime. You can always learn long division.’
Iain Meiklejohn made headlines after sending a cheeky email to Forresters High School in Edinburgh explaining why he was taking 12-year-old Aleks abroad
And a fellow sympathizer said: ‘As a teacher, I would be fine with these kinds of absences.’
But there was also mockery about Scotland’s prospects as the country looks to reach the knockout stages of a major international tournament for the first time.
One poster commented, “I doubt you’ll be in the contest long enough for them to notice he’s missing.”
Other parents have also decided to take their children out of school for the tournament.
Keith Work, 45, and his wife Julie posed for photos in Munich earlier this week with their nine-year-old son Adam, who was happy to miss the last few days of the school year.
Mr Work told the Daily Record: “It just feels great to be here. We don’t know if we can make a trip like this again, so we decided we had to be here to experience the atmosphere.’
Scotland fans celebrated in Munich yesterday ahead of tonight’s Euro 2024 match against Germany
Scotland fans celebrated in Munich yesterday ahead of tonight’s Euro 2024 match against Germany
Scotland fans celebrated in Munich yesterday ahead of tonight’s Euro 2024 match against Germany
There is no indication that Adam’s absence was unauthorized.
When I called Forresters High School, MailOnline was told: ‘Any unauthorized absences will be dealt with in accordance with local authority policy.’
Edinburgh City Council has been contacted for comment.
Aleks previously won tickets to the 2018 World Cup final in the Russian capital Moscow – France’s 4-2 win over Croatia – and was celebrated in a social media post by FIFA, the sport’s world governing body.
The boy was mocked online after he was seen crying as Poland – his mother Iwona’s native country – was defeated 3-0 by Colombia in the opening round.
Having secured the tickets four years after missing the 2014 final, Mr Meiklejohn said at the time: ‘The whole thing has just been turned around 100%. It’s just amazing, it’s brilliant.’
Aleks was seen in tears after his mother’s Poland lost to Colombia at the 2018 World Cup
Father and son did win tickets for the 2018 World Cup final, in which France defeated Croatia
They supported Poland, the native country of Mr. Meiklejohn’s wife, Iwona
Speaking about Poland’s elimination by Colombia, he said: ‘Aleks got a bit upset, as you would if your team is dropped from the World Cup.
“All the Colombian fans gathered around us, started singing ‘Polska, Polska’, gave us hats and scarves, patted us on the back and patted us on the head.
“Iwona, my wife, quickly made a 15-second video of this event, uploaded it to Twitter later that night and the whole thing blew up.
“It went viral and we’ve had non-stop communication from all over the world for the last six or seven days. It was surreal.’
It comes as millions of Scots will root for the men’s national football team to victory when they take on Germany in the highly anticipated opening match of Euro 2024 tonight.
Aleks previously attended the 2018 World Cup with parents Iain and Iwona
His experiences in Russia were shared by football’s governing body FIFA in an online video
The match in Munich is the first of 51 to be played over the next month to determine the next European champion, with the final taking place at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on July 14.
Tens of thousands of members of the Tartan Army have made the journey to Germany to cheer on their heroes, and at home thousands more are expected to pack venues set up in cities specifically to showcase the game.
Germany are third favorites to win the tournament, behind France and England, and while the odds look good that Scotland will beat them, many supporters will be hoping their side can take something from Friday night’s match.
Scotland have never beaten Germany in a league match and have won just one of their last nine games – a 2-0 friendly victory over minnows Gibraltar at the start of the month.
