Argentina Risks Disciplinary Action from FIFA for Displaying Falklands Sign at World Cup

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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.

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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.

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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.

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PUNCH Online reports that 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.

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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.

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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.

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FIFA ruled at the time that the act breached its regulations on political messages and team misconduct.

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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.

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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.”

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Ahead of the semi-final, Villarruel had also described the match as being “about putting the invaders in their place.”

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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.

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

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“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.

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“It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it, that’s the reality.

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“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.

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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.

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