Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by _signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
According to Sky News, the White House would not support any Argentina players being banned from Sunday’s final at the MetLife Stadium. It claims officials from President Donald Trump’s team have rejected calls from the UK government to punish the players who paraded the banner.
In particular, Trumps’ World Cup chief Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, has insisted Argentina are only exercising their freedom of expression and pointed to the first amendment of the US constitution.
After the banner, which was chiefly paraded by Tottenham defender Cristian Romero and Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, was brought to Keir Starmer’s attention, a spokesperson for the outgoing prime minister said: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.
“Our position is unchanged. Self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver. More broadly, potential action is a matter for Fifa, but it’s been a fantastic World Cup and we’ve said throughout that politics should stay out of football.”
FIFA have a history of punishing Argentina for political statements regarding to the Falklands. In 2014, they fined the country’s football association £20,000 after their players held up a similar banner before a friendly against Slovenia.
FIFA have also confirmed they are considering disciplinary action against Argentina for the act, which took place immediately after the final whistle went.
A FIFA spokesperson said: “As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent Disciplinary Committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”