Scotland fan’s Tartan Army jacket with flags from 50 countries to be displayed at Hampden Park after his death
A DEDICATED Scotland fan’s trademark tartan jacket with flags from 50 countries will be displayed at Hampden Park after his tragic death.
Joe McGunnigle, 77, passed away last week after a three-year battle with head and neck cancer.
And the Aberdeen great-grandad’s iconic red Tartan Army jacket will now be put on show at the Scottish Football Museum.
Loyal Scotland fan Joe followed his national team to five World Cups between 1974 and 1998.
And the resilient footie supporter even travelled to watch his team in Slovenia after surgery in 2017.
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The great-grandad-of-six once even cycled from Aberdeen to Glasgow in order to join the ranks of the Tartan Army faithful – and his daughter Karen has said the Hampden Park display is a “fitting tribute”.
Karen said: “He had a tartan jacket and everywhere he would go he would have a patch sewn on to it.
“It has 50 patches from different countries where he went to watch Scotland play.
“It is a real fitting tribute for my dad to have the jacket on display at the football museum.
“My dad was still watching football to the very end. He spoke about it all the time and his enthusiasm never waned.”
Joe was also an Aberdeen supporter – and managed amateur footie club Woodside.
He worked as an aircraft engineer and ran his own kitchen company before retiring.
Karen said tributes to her dad have been flooding in and are a comfort to the family.
She said: “It has been so comforting. He loved people.
“Even at the hospital with the doctors and nurses he kept everyone smiling.”
Joe was able to spend one final Christmas with his family – and even enjoyed a Guinness with his older brother to mark the beginning of 2020.
Karen said her dad showed “courage” in his battle with cancer.
She said: “I loved him for his straightforwardness and his courage.
“He really set an example and a standard for us all.”
He was also hailed by granddaughter Cassie McGunnigle.
The Robert Gordon uni student said he had wanted to see her graduate after she completed her degree this year.
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She said: “He was a major part of our lives and always will be.
“He gave a lot of people hope despite his illness.
Joe is survived by his brother, his three kids, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
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