Among a section of Scottish football supporters, only Jimmy Hill is held in lower esteem. After more than 30 years of commentating on international matches, John Motson will hang up his mic tonight, and nowhere will the Englishman’s departure be celebrated more than in the massed ranks of the Tartan Army.

A group of 50 diehard Scotland fans will gather in a Glasgow bar this evening to toast the end of an era and to celebrate never again having to endure impossibly tenuous references to England’s 1966 World Cup win being dredged up at every opportunity.

The evening, listening to the commentator reporting on the European championship final between Germany and Spain, will have a distinctly anti-Motty theme. Fans will bring their stopwatches along to time how long it takes Motson to utter the words that have made him a Tartan Army hate figure. The winner will be the fan who predicts the minute in which Motson first mentions England’s 4-2 triumph all those years ago.

The 62-year-old commentator, famed for his sheepskin coat, has disclosed that the finals in Austria and Switzerland will be his last big tournament and he will not cover the 2010 World Cup, although he will continue to commentate on club football.

Hamish Husband, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, which has more than 1,500 members, has helped to organised the Motson farewell party in the Sports Cafe in Sauchiehall Street.

“We will be booing John for the last time. I reckon it will take him about 10 seconds to mention that England won the World Cup in 1966,” he said. “I’m not sure he invented the practice of mentioning it in every game, but he has trademarked it as his own. He’s the doyen and all the other commentators seem to follow him.

“It drives the Tartan Army mad. Whether England qualify or not, he has always had to mention it, it’s as if he is putting the whole world in their place.

“Although John Motson is retiring, I fear that phrase will not retire with him. It’s laughable — it’s 42 years since they won the World Cup.”

Thousands of people across the country are said to have been turning down the volume on their commentary during Euro 2008 or using an interactive button to switch to Radio 5 Live while watching matches to avoid having to listen to Motson’s commentary.

Husband said that Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish fans are alone in having to watch another country’s coverage of big sporting events.

“The BBC is hijacked by England because there is no such thing as BBC England. None of them have ever had to listen to Scottish commentators like Arthur Montford or Gerry McNee, but we have always had to suffer English commentators.

“The media attitude from England has caused a lot of aggro, and Motson has been behind it and is totally unaware or oblivious of it. He has always thought he is broadcasting to the nation of England.”

Motson, who will continue working for Match of the Day, said he was not offended by the event and wished the Scots partygoers well.

“In my first two World Cups, in 1974 and 1978, England didn’t qualify and Scotland did, so I have covered the Scots quite a lot and I have always had a lot of affection for them,” he said.

“It was never a case of me being pro-English and anti-Scottish — far from it. As far as references to the 1966 World Cup go, well if your country has won it then you refer to it from time to time don’t you?

“There was never any intention on my part to ram that down the throats of Scottish people. I hope the Tartan Army have a really great time, I hope they raise a glass to me and hopefully they won’t be too critical.”

In 2006, the BBC was forced to post a message on its World Cup website asking viewers to stop using “offensive abuse” as viewers registered complaints against Motson and his fellow sports presenters.

During the same tournament, Motson and Mark Lawrenson, the former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland player turned pundit, were also likened to a couple of “old pub bores” for laughing at their own jokes while covering games.

Archie Macpherson, the Scottish football commentator and close friend of Motson, said: “The English do go over the top about themselves and are obsessed with 1966. I have got into trouble before from people in officialdom for criticising Scotland, and commentators in England don’t tend to be as critical of their national side.

“That’s my only criticism of John — other than that, he is very professional.”

A BBC spokeswoman said Tartan Army fans shouldn’t celebrate too early, as Motson would still be a feature on the network. “John isn’t retiring. In fact he will definitely be working for us next season on Match of the Day.”

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