The BBC has been labelled a disgrace for losing the television rights to Scotland's home games and leaving fans with no option but to pay to watch their team play.

The Scottish Football Association has signed a £60million deal that gives the subscription channel Sky Sports exclusive rights to home internationals between 2010 and 2014 and allows the BBC to show highlights. The SFA said that the record amount paid would allow it to invest more in the development of the game, but the deal was greeted by fans with anger.

Tam Ferry, a spokesman for the Tartan Army - fans who follow the Scottish team around the world - said: “The BBC has enough to pay £200million for Formula One, which nobody watches, but they could not secure Scotland's home games. You can't blame the SFA for trying to get as much as it can to help the game, but the BBC has let us down again.”

Stuart McMillan, the SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, said: “It is disappointing that neither BBC Scotland nor STV has invested to secure the rights to show Scotland's home games in full on free-to-view television. I find it astonishing that they cannot find the money to support Scotland's national team.”

The new arrangement is the latest setback for fans - including the First Minister, Alex Salmond - who believe that Scotland's home games should be available to all free on terrestrial television. Last month the BBC Audience Council for Scotland called for the home side's international qualifying matches to be added to the list of sporting “crown jewels”, events that must be made available to mainstream, free-to-air broadcasters.

Mr Salmond has previously demanded action from broadcasters and Westminster to ensure that Scotland's qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup are shown on terrestrial television. He was backed by the Scottish Broadcasting Commission, set up by the Government to conduct an independent investigation into television production and broadcasting in Scotland.

A report published in March by the commission stated that good arguments have been made for adding Scotland's qualifying matches for the World Cup finals and the European Championships to the list of protected events.

In England, where a new four-year broadcasting deal begins next week, fans will be able to watch home internationals on ITV, including World Cup qualifiers. Away friendlies will be shown on ITV, and home friendly games will be split between ITV and the subscription channel Setanta.

Sky Sports is owned by News Corporation, the global parent company of The Times.

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