LONDON – The British government on Thursday called on FIFA to investigate Argentina’s national football team after players displayed a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands during post-match celebrations at a World Cup semifinal match.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Atlanta, following Argentina’s 2-1 victory over England. During the celebrations, Argentine players held up a banner, reportedly handed to them by fans in the stands, which read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” – translating to “The Malvinas are Argentine.” Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated on Thursday, “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.” The spokesperson added that “Self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver,” and confirmed Starmer’s support for FIFA’s investigation. U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle described the players’ actions as “entirely inappropriate,” telling the BBC that “politics needs to be separate from football” and that the matter was now for FIFA to address.
FIFA’s disciplinary code explicitly prohibits any “message that is not appropriate for a sports event” within stadiums, including those of “a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.” Violations of this rule can result in fines ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. FIFA was approached for comment on Thursday regarding the incident.
The dispute over the South Atlantic archipelago, located approximately 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) from the U.K. and 300 miles (480 kilometers) from Argentina, has long fueled political tensions between the two nations. The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory with a population of about 3,500 people. Argentina claims the islands were illegally seized in 1833, while Britain asserts its territorial claim dates back to 1765, having sent a warship in 1833 to expel Argentine forces attempting to establish sovereignty.
This territorial dispute escalated into a 10-week war in 1982, when Argentina’s then-military dictatorship invaded the islands. Britain ultimately won the conflict, which resulted in the deaths of 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service personnel, and three islanders. The conflict concluded during the 1982 World Cup in Spain, a tournament where British television networks notably declined to broadcast Argentina’s opening game after the defending champion lost to Belgium.
Argentine players commented on the banner, with Lisandro Martínez, who has played for Manchester United in England for four years, saying, “We couldn’t let the Argentine people down.” Leandro Paredes added, “Sadly, it is a sad part of our history, for everyone involved in that chapter of, I repeat, our history. And it hurts. We knew we were playing for them, too.”
This is not the first time Argentina’s team has faced scrutiny for political messaging. In June 2014, Argentine players displayed the same “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” slogan during a warmup game in Buenos Aires for the World Cup in Brazil. FIFA’s disciplinary panel later fined the Argentina federation 30,000 Swiss francs ($37,000) after the tournament concluded.
Other precedents include a 2012 London Olympics case where South Korea player Park Jong-woo was banned for two 2014 World Cup qualifying games after holding a banner reading “Dokdo is our territory” in a match against Japan. FIFA’s ruling at the time stated such conduct “cannot be tolerated.” More recently, at the 2022 World Cup, FIFA fined the Serbia federation 20,000 Swiss francs ($24,800) for hanging a political banner about Kosovo, an independent state since 2008, in the locker room before a match against Brazil.
FIFA’s statutory political neutrality has been questioned at this World Cup. Its president, Gianni Infantino, and the disciplinary process, which may now judge Argentina, appeared to yield to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump by allowing United States forward Folarin Balogun to play Belgium in the round of 16. Balogun, who had received a red card in the previous round, should have been banned for his team’s next game according to FIFA rules, but his suspension was deferred for a year of probation, sparking controversy. Belgium went on to beat the U.S. 4-1. Infantino is expected to attend the World Cup final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where Argentina will play Spain, alongside political allies Trump and Argentina President Javier Milei.
