Argentina’s players have poured fuel on one of football’s most volatile rivalries by chanting an obscene song about the Falklands after reaching the World Cup semi-finals – a match that now carries the weight of war, politics and more than 60 years of hurt.
Dressing-room footage showed players singing about “Las Malvinas, por Diego and por la ultima de Leo” – for the Falklands, for Diego Maradona and for Lionel Messi’s final World Cup – dragging the dispute back towards the 1982 war. Children in Argentina are taught that the islands belong to them; maps depict them as Argentine territory, and stadiums across the country carry the Malvinas name despite standing more than 1,000 miles from Port Stanley. The overwhelming majority of Falkland Islanders voted to remain British, but the dispute remains deeply embedded within Argentina’s national identity.
“England face Argentina in a World Cup semi-final inflamed by Argentina's Falklands chant and decades of footballing hostility.”
Now thousands of rival supporters are heading to Atlanta for Wednesday night’s clash, carrying flags, drums and decades of anger. Police are braced for flashpoints after minor scuffles were already seen inside a stadium in Miami during England’s quarter-final against Norway.
On the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s side meets the reigning champions in a match that decides who plays in the World Cup final. BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton believes England have a genuine chance. “They have not been anywhere near their best,” he said. “Instead, they have been the team who have produced big moments to get through matches, and have been helped by a pretty gentle draw so far… but I actually think they have got a great chance of getting past Argentina, for many reasons.”
For Lionel Messi, 39, it is one final chance to conquer the major international opponent missing from his extraordinary career; he has never faced England in a competitive match.
In the other semi-final, France face Spain – a game Sutton says “should be the final based on what I’ve seen”. Spain are the best footballing side in terms of the way they play and control games, while France have the firepower and flair. France have scored 16 goals in six games, winning them all in 90 minutes; Spain have conceded only one goal so far. The winner, Sutton believes, will also win the World Cup.
But it is the England-Argentina showdown that threatens to become the most explosive night of the tournament – 90 minutes that could decide the final, but around which hangs the shadow of Maradona’s Hand of God, David Beckham’s red card and a rivalry where every meeting seems to produce another wound.
