World Cup: Argentina face FIFA sanction over banner after England win

Argentina could face disciplinary action from FIFA after their players celebrated Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final victory over England by displaying a banner backing the country’s claim to the Falkland Islands

The reigning world champions came from behind to beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 2-1 in Atlanta, scoring twice late in the game to secure a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Following the final whistle, several Argentina players held up a banner bearing the words “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”(“The Falklands are Argentine”), a political message that could attract sanctions from world football’s governing body.

The Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, have long been at the centre of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina. The disagreement led to the 1982 Falklands War, a 74-day conflict in which 655 Argentine servicemen, 255 British servicemen and three islanders were killed.

According to BBC Sport, FIFA has previously sanctioned Argentina over a similar incident. In 2014, the Argentine Football Association was fined £20,000 after the national team displayed an identical banner before an international friendly against Slovenia.

FIFA ruled at the time that the act breached its regulations on political messages and team misconduct. Reacting to Wednesday’s victory, Argentina’s Vice-President, Victoria Villarruel, posted on X saying, “It wasn’t just another match”, alongside a video appearing to show Argentine soldiers.

She added, “The Falklands are Argentine. They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts.”

Ahead of the semi-final, Villarruel had also described the match as being “about putting the invaders in their place.” Argentina’s players had earlier drawn attention for singing chants referencing the Falkland Islands, as well as football legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, after their dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16.

However, Argentina head coach, Lionel Scaloni, had insisted during a press conference before the England match that football should remain separate from politics.

“The reality is that this is a football match. I can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago. It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it, that’s the reality.

“Things are happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticise the existence of war. We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match – we shouldn’t confuse the two,” he said.

The semi-final, decided by late goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez after England had taken the lead, was played under heightened security because of the long-standing historical tensions between the two countries.