Glasgow 2014: haggis, Scotties, charity pleas, anthem angst

Commonwealth Games opening ceremony divides opinion as attention turns to the competition

Scottish athletes enter at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
(Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The 20th Commonwealth Games officially began in Glasgow on Wednesday evening and the opening ceremony has divided opinion among the British media. An "exuberant, good-humoured, periodically chaotic evening" was how the Daily Mail described the ceremony, featuring as it did a giant haggis, cabers, golf clubs, a gay wedding, 41 Scottish terriers, Rod Stewart and, of course, the Queen.

The Times awarded Glasgow "gold" for the ceremony but wondered if there should have been more emphasis on the Games and sport rather than transforming the event "into an international fundraising exercise", with actor Ewan McGregor urging the 40,000 spectators in the Celtic Park stadium – and the one billion television viewers – to "donate £5 each to international charities".

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Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.