Argentina face punishment from FIFA (Image: Getty)
A major row has broken out overnight in the aftermath of Argentina’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final victory over England. Lionel Messi put his nation back into the final for the second tournament in a row, as he assisted twice in the dying embers of the match after Anthony Gordon had given England the lead.
However, it is scenes shortly after the final whistle that have caused a stir, with Argentina possibly now facing a punishment from FIFA. Full-time prompted anger among the England camp, with Jude Bellingham ‘slapping’ Valentin Barco as tensions boiled over and Argentinians celebrating their win in Atlanta.
But a banner that was tossed onto the pitch by fans and then paraded around by players read “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” is causing considerable controversy.
In English, this translates to ‘The Malvinas are Argentine’, with Malvinas being the Spanish term for the Falkland Islands.
The Falklands is an archipelago situated off Argentina’s coast, but functions as a British Overseas Territory.
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
In 1982, Argentinian forces launched an invasion, with a British military task force subsequently deployed across the Atlantic to reclaim the islands. What ensued was a 74-day conflict which claimed the lives of 255 British military personnel, 649 Argentinian soldiers and three Falkland Islanders, before an Argentine surrender resulted in the islands returning to British control.
Following Argentina’s call for negotiations over the islands’ sovereignty, a 2013 referendum witnessed 99.8% of Falkland Islanders voting to maintain their status as a British Overseas Territory, with merely three votes opposing.
Argentina celebrated their semi-final win by holding up a banner claiming the Falkland Islands (Image: Getty)
While they have progressed to the final, Argentina now face sanctions from FIFA for their full-time celebrations, with the governing body and football’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), maintaining a firm position on political flags being displayed.
“Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” the IFAB rulebook states. “Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo.
“For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.”
The recent controversy follows Argentina’s vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, making a series of inflammatory remarks referencing the conflict on social media prior to Wednesday’s semi-final.
“Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates,” she wrote on X. “This isn’t just another match.
“I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more. It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders.”