The Falkland Islands will grind to a standstill tonight as locals pack into pubs to roar England on against Argentina in their World Cup semi-final – a fixture charged by more than four decades of history, from the Falklands War to Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God”.
In the capital, Stanley, England shirts are everywhere. The Rose pub, where West Ham fan Mark McManus – a centre back for the islands’ football team – has watched every match, expects to be crammed. “Everyone’s really keen and buzzing for it,” said McManus, who has called the Falklands home for nearly a year. “The pubs have been packed. We haven’t missed a game. It’s a small pub compared to what you get back home, but you can’t move in there.”
“Falklands pubs pack out as England face Argentina in a World Cup semi-final charged by war memories and Maradona’s legacy.”
For Argentina, the tie carries its own weight. After beating Switzerland 3-1, Lionel Messi and his teammates burst into the dressing room singing The Fourth Star, the country’s unofficial World Cup anthem. The lyrics – “For Malvinas, for Diego” – invoke the Falkland Islands, known as Islas Malvinas, and football legend Diego Maradona. The song’s writer, Pablo “Palmito” Quintana, 30, said: “Behind the Argentina team, there are people who still carry pain, who don’t want to forget their history, and who want to win on the football pitch.”
The semi-final echoes the 1986 quarter-final, when Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal and his celebrated solo strike helped Argentina triumph after the 1982 war. Aldo Leiva, a Falklands war veteran and Peronist congressman, said: “The 1986 match was a balm for everyone who had lived through the war. Many Argentines saw the victory – and the ‘hand of God’ – as a form of vindication because they believed Britain had acted outside the rules, especially by sinking the General Belgrano.” The attack on the Argentine cruiser killed 323 crew members.
McManus, who moved from West Sussex, said fans went to extraordinary lengths to get England shirts: “Before the tournament, there was like a military operation for everyone to get a shirt. Everyone’s got England shirts.” He believes the support in Stanley matches anything back home: “You feel like you’re right in the heart of England.”
The winner of tonight’s match will face Spain in the final, after Spain beat France 2-0 in the other semi-final.