There is now a whole clan of Scots living in the hills above Buenos Aires, we can reveal.

The tribe numbers three thousand strong, and they have been in Argentina after travelling there to watch Scotland play in the 1978 Word Cup.

They realised that life under the South American right-wing military junta was safer than the streets of Glasgow.

After Scotland failed miserably in the tournament group stages, getting only a draw against Iran, the Tartan Army supporters ran for the hills.

The decision looked doomed at first as the original 500 Scottish fans had to build huts and eke out a living from the barren land.

But eventually, after bartering for some llamas from a nearby farm (for the price of two women), they were able to begin farming, just like home.

The clan, known as the McArgies, prospered and now they now number more than 3,000.

They still wear kilts, even though these get particularly chilly in the harsh Argentinian winters.

One member of the clan, Lorraine McFisher, 34, said: “I was born here, so this is my home. My ancestors claimed this land as their own way back in 1978 and we have been here ever since.”

It is thought the Argentinian authorities allowed the Scots to stay because they felt sorry for them.

Original clansman Stevie McWalshe said: “Everybody back in Scotland remembers Archie Gemmill’s performance against Holland here in 1978. It was the high point of another disappointing Scottish tournament.

“But nobody remembers us. We love our life here, however.

“People complain we lived under a right-wing military dictatorship in Argentina, but that’s nothing compared to Nicola Sturgeon.”