Argentina face potential disciplinary action from Fifa after their players celebrated a dramatic 2-1 World Cup semi-final victory over England by unfurling a banner declaring the Falkland Islands Argentine property.
Minutes after Enzo Fernandez and substitute Lautaro Martínez completed a late comeback in Atlanta, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Lisandro Martínez were photographed on the pitch holding a sign reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” – “The Falklands are Argentine”.
“Fifa investigates Argentina players for Falklands banner after World Cup semi-final win over England.”
The banner, apparently handed down from supporters, prompted an immediate response from Fifa, whose independent disciplinary committee is “assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps”, a spokesperson said.
It is not the first time Argentina’s football association has been punished for such a display. In 2014, Fifa fined the organisation £20,000 for holding a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia, ruling the gesture breached rules on political action and team misconduct.
Downing Street reacted swiftly, with the prime minister’s official spokesperson saying: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.”
Business Secretary Peter Kyle described the incident as “an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football”, while Liberal Democrat MP Al Pinkerton condemned “disgraceful scenes” in which “football was used as a platform to challenge the democratic right of Falkland Islanders to determine their own future”.
The Falkland Islands government said it was “disappointed but not surprised” and hopes Fifa will “sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules”. A statement added: “We do not wish to see politics being brought into sport, nor do we wish the Islands and their people to be used as a political football in every conversation about England and Argentina.”
Argentina’s President Javier Milei called the players’ action “understandable” and “valid”, but said “the things that happen on the pitch are not part of diplomacy”. He added: “Indeed, the Malvinas are Argentine, we are going to recover them, and we’re going to do it in the diplomatic field, by acting intelligently.”
The islands have been a flashpoint between the two nations since Argentina’s 1982 invasion, which sparked a 74-day conflict that killed 255 British servicemen, 649 Argentine soldiers and three islanders. A 2013 referendum saw 1,513 of 1,517 votes cast in favour of remaining a British overseas territory.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for Romero, Martínez and Lo Celso to be “barred from the final” against Spain on Sunday. Any punishment will be decided by Fifa’s disciplinary committee after reviewing the match reports.
