As Argentina players sing about the Malvinas and bounce to the chant “whoever doesn’t jump is English”, one person in the stands will remain conspicuously seated: Silvina Riela, the mother of Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
Riela told Buenos Aires’s Radio Mitre that her English-born granddaughter is the reason she refuses to join the ritual. “When everyone sings, ‘Whoever doesn’t jump is English,’ I stay seated with her. I can’t join in on that; I don’t participate in that part,” she said.
“Alexis Mac Allister’s mother refuses to join anti-England chants because her granddaughter was born in England.”
It is a remarkable u-turn for a woman who once held a “negative impression of England”. “In my ignorance, I used to say, ‘I hope we never end up in England,’” Riela admitted. But after experiencing the country during her son’s spells with Brighton and Liverpool, she changed her mind. “I expected to encounter cold, distant people, but they are actually very polite and respectful. We were welcomed by a country that has treated us in the best possible way.”
The Falklands chants are deeply embedded in Argentine culture. Argentine journalist Nicolas Rotnitzsky told BBC Sport: “It’s part of the Argentine culture. It’s like ‘we are not them – we are us’. So we have to jump to prove that we are not one of them.” Rotnitzsky said the rivalry with England, alongside Brazil, is Argentina’s greatest, but insisted “it’s not about hate, not at all. It’s important, getting our identity around what happened with the Malvinas. It’s about who we are.”
Argentina midfielder Rodrigo de Paul said the chants are “very much about our heroes” and not about politics. “We have to understand that this is a football match and that the Malvinas issue needs to be discussed elsewhere,” De Paul said.
Mac Allister, 27, has started every game but one in Argentina’s run to the semi-finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada, and scored in the quarter-final win against Switzerland. He reflected on the upcoming clash: “We understand the context behind it, all the rivalry stemming from past events and history. Obviously, we also realise that this isn’t the fault of their people or ours, but rather those in positions of power, so we shouldn’t conflate the two. I have a lot of respect for England; I’ve been there for six years now, and they’ve always treated me incredibly well.”
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford insisted it is “just a game of football” and predicted “football will win”.
The semi-final on Wednesday (20:00 BST) will see increased security measures because of the historical tensions, but for Riela, the match is personal. “As (Argentina manager Lionel) Scaloni said, it’s just a football match,” she said. “My granddaughter was born in England.”
