Argentina may face disciplinary proceedings from FIFA after their players displayed a political message during celebrations following their World Cup semi-final triumph over England.
The reigning champions secured a place in the final after a dramatic comeback in Atlanta, overturning England’s lead to win 2-1 thanks to late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez.
After the match ended, Argentina’s squad gathered with a banner carrying the words “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates as “The Falklands are Argentine”.
The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory located in the southwest Atlantic Ocean, have long been at the centre of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina.
Previous controversy over similar message
The two countries previously fought a war over the islands in 1982, with the conflict lasting 74 days between April and June.
The war resulted in the deaths of 655 Argentine servicemen, 255 British servicemen, and three residents of the islands.
Argentina has already faced punishment from world football’s governing body for a similar incident. In 2014, FIFA fined the Argentine Football Association £20,000 after players held the same message before a friendly match against Slovenia.
At the time, FIFA ruled that the banner violated regulations regarding political statements and team misconduct.
Political reaction after Argentina’s win
Following Wednesday’s semi-final victory, Argentina vice president Victoria Villarruel shared a post on X featuring a video that appeared to show Argentine soldiers, accompanied by the words: “It wasn’t just another match”.
Villarruel also wrote: “The Falklands are Argentine,” claiming that the islands had been prevented from being brought into the stadium but remained part of Argentina’s identity.
Before the match, Villarruel had described the semifinal as an opportunity to “put the invaders in their place”.
Peter Kyle, the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, criticised the banner and said he expected FIFA to investigate the incident.
“I think [an investigation] is certain to happen because it was such an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football,” Kyle told BBC Breakfast.
Scaloni urged focus on football before the semifinal
The Falklands issue had already appeared during Argentina’s tournament, with players singing chants referencing the islands, including Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, after their 3-2 victory over Egypt in the last 16.
However, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni had previously insisted that football and politics should not be mixed ahead of the semi-final.
Scaloni said the match should be viewed purely as a sporting event and showed respect for those affected by the conflict.
“It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it,” Scaloni said.
He added that wars happening around the world should be criticised but stressed that the meeting with England was a football match and should not be confused with political issues.
The semi-final was played with additional security measures due to the historical tensions between the two countries.