The teen giving away his Euros tickets for charity

A Dundee teenager is giving up the chance to see Scotland kick off the European Championships in Germany – to benefit good causes instead.

Mitchell Carling decided to raffle off his tickets for the tournament’s curtain-raiser in Munich on 14 June, with the proceeds going towards diabetes and autism charities.

The 16-year-old told BBC Scotland News that his friends think he is “crazy” for the decision.

However he hopes that the raffle will help a “greater good” instead.

Mitchell previously raised thousands of pounds for charity when he raffled tickets to see the 2022 Europa league final in Seville, where Rangers lost to Eintracht Frankfurt.

After getting tickets for the Scotland v Germany game he decided to repeat the fundraising idea for the Euros, with the money going towards the JDRF and Caudwell Children charities.

He said: “We raised a substantial amount in 2022, and it was just something I wanted to do again.

“My sister Blaire was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was around seven or eight, and JDRF have been a great help to her. She was rushed into hospital and right away they were there, helping her know what to eat.

“Caudwell Children help children with autism and my family have supported them for years. We’ve seen first-hand how much of a difference they can make.”

The winner of the raffle will be drawn on 6 June.

Tickets for Scotland’s games against the hosts, Switzerland and Hungary are being sold on resale sites for up to £12,000, but tournament organisers UEFA warned that fans could be refused entry by buying them that way.

Steve Clarke’s men are competing in a second straight Euros, having previously ended the country’s lengthy major tournament drought when they qualified for the 2020 edition.

However, Mitchell is sure he will not feel too disappointed when the whistle blows on 14 June.

“Some of my pals who didn’t get tickets think I’m crazy. But I just want to raise as much as I can for the charities,” he said.