Hoping to avoid the unfortunate scene this past March when all-night boozing at the team hotel followed by obscene gestures by Allan McGregor and Barry Ferguson from the bench during a defeat to the Netherlands resulted in lifetime bans for the veteran Scotland national team midfielders, officials have declared a ban on all alcohol surrounding the team's visit to Norway for an upcoming World Cup qualifying match. "They (the players) will be made aware of the importance of playing for Scotland," said Manager George Burley. "They won't be taking any alcohol. We have made it clear that we cannot tolerate that kind of behavior again. "

The ban won't just mean strict curfews or players barred from visiting pubs, but will extend to a total absence of alcohol in all environments that the team will be in on the trip. "I will speak to the staff and the players. We have got to be aware of every scenario. There will be no alcohol at the hotel," promised Burley. "Things like that will never happen again. It has happened, gone. We learn our lessons and move on. It is a huge honor to play for your country and the players have to appreciate that they cannot take their eye off the ball."

 

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