Argentina’s celebrations following Wednesday’s 2-1 FIFA World Cup semi-final victory over England have sparked controversy after several players displayed a banner referencing the disputed Falkland Islands, a move that could expose the team to disciplinary action from FIFA.
According to Yahoo Sports, the incident occurred after Argentina staged a comeback to defeat England and secure a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.
The banner, which read “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Malvinas are Argentine”), refers to the long-standing territorial dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands. The disagreement led to the 1982 Falklands War, a 74-day conflict that claimed the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British military personnel, as well as three island residents.
Ahead of the match, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni attempted to keep politics separate from football, saying, “Mixing the two would be crazy.”
However, after the final whistle, supporters inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium unveiled the banner, which was later held aloft by midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and defender Nicolás Otamendi before other members of the squad joined the celebrations behind it. Television footage also showed players dancing with the banner in front of Argentine fans.
According to Yahoo Sports, the display could breach FIFA and International Football Association Board (IFAB) regulations, which prohibit political messages during matches.
FIFA’s stadium code of conduct bans the display of political, offensive, or discriminatory materials, while the IFAB Laws of the Game state: “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.” The rules further provide that: “For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.”
As of Wednesday evening, FIFA had not commented on the incident, and it remains unclear whether the governing body will take disciplinary action.
Yahoo Sports reported that if FIFA decides to act, financial sanctions are the most likely outcome. The publication recalled that the Argentine Football Association was fined £20,000 in 2014 after players displayed a similar “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” banner before an international friendly against Slovenia.
Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final as they bid to retain the trophy and win a fourth World Cup title.
