Scottish expat unhappy after California bans his Motherwell FC tribute licence plate

Bureaucrats have banned Motherwell FC from the roads of California. They ruled that an expat Scot’s licence plate saluting the Lanarkshire club could offend other roads users. The California Department of Motor Vehicles spelled out to bamboozled Jim Graham, 59, just how the tribute to the SPL club could cause offence.



They said: “The configuration ‘MWELLFC’ can be read as ‘MeWellF*c***’ and can be misunderstood and found offensive to some of our citizens.” Jim, originally from East Kilbride, said: “That interpretation had never crossed my mind. I wrote to them appealing the decision but they stuck to their guns. In fairness they refunded the $49 I spent on the registration.”

The decision from the DMV in the state capital Sacramento cites the California Vehicle Code, section 5105(a). That states: “We must refuse any license plate configuration which carries connotations offensive to good taste and decency, or which may be misleading to some of our citizens.”



Jim said: “It means my Porsche Boxster has no plates at the moment, so I can’t take it out on the road. I never dreamed that plates saying this could be taken in a particular way. I explained to them that this was for Motherwell FC and they seemed to accept that and understand but in the end they have stuck to their guns.”