Ian Wright irked Falklands War veterans after claiming the England-Argentina match in the World Cup semi-finals would be a “war”. Those who fought in the 10-week conflict 44 years ago were at pains to play down comparisons that some were drawing before kick-off.
Argentina’s players only heightened those tensions after full-time by displaying a banner claiming the archipelago as their own, which could land them in hot water with FIFA. The squad had previously sung about the Falklands during the tournament, namely after reaching the quarter-finals with a comeback win over Egypt, despite claiming the chants were not about politics.
Peter Robinson, a Falklands veteran who served in 40 Commando, told The Telegraph: “Sport should be sport. Conflicts are conflicts. Never should the two meet. It’s absolutely not a battlefield.”
Simon Weston, one of the 775 British soldiers wounded in the South Atlantic, also told the same publication: “Some people describe a footballer as a hero on the field, but that’s completely misusing the language. They’re footballers.
“It’s hardly like they’re risking their lives on the pitch. It’s nothing like a battlefield. This is a sporting fixture and has no bearing or relevance to what happened 44 years ago.”
Their position stands in stark contrast to Wright’s. Speaking on ITV about Argentina, he said: “It’s a country that, as time’s gone by, I’ve learnt a lot about them, and I have no love for them. Obviously, [Diego] Maradona’s somebody that’s done some amazing things I’ve seen.
“It’s a team that we have to beat, and it’s going to be a tough one; it’s going to be a real tough one, a real attritional war we’re going into, and we have to recognise that.
“I’ve heard Thomas Tuchel saying it’s just a game. It’s not just a game, and they’ll realise it’s not just a game. It’s going to be more than that when they play.”
Tuchel addressed the historical rivalry during his pre-match press conference, remarking: “I would say it’s irrelevant, but I’m not sure about it.
“I think the players are very aware of both countries, what it means to them. If a fixture provides so many iconic moments, I think you cannot just say it’s just another football match.
“But as a coach, we do exactly that: focus on what we can influence. We don’t actually speak about the historic events. We don’t speak about the iconic moments. It’s in itself iconic enough, and attention is big enough.”