Argentina Players Ignite Fury With Falklands Banner in World Cup Victory Lap

The U.K. has demanded that FIFA investigate Argentina’s World Cup celebrations on Thursday after the country’s players unfurled a banner declaring “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” following their semi-final victory over England.

The incident came after Argentina defeated England on Wednesday night in a match already overshadowed by renewed rhetoric over the long-running sovereignty dispute. In the days before kick-off, Argentina’s Vice President Victoria Villarruel had described Britain as “invaders.”

The Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas, have remained a British Overseas Territory since the 1982 war, when the U.K. repelled Argentina’s invasion of the islands. The conflict claimed the lives of 255 British service personnel, three civilian islanders and 649 Argentine service personnel.

Argentina, however, continues to protest that it has a claim to the islands, despite a referendum held on the island in 2013, which found 99.8% of residents supported British sovereignty over the territory.

Speaking to the BBC, the U.K.’s Business Secretary Peter Kyle said FIFA should carry out “a proper inquiry” into what he described as an “entirely inappropriate” display after Argentina’s players celebrated with the banner proclaiming “The Falkland Islands are Argentine.”

FIFA prohibits political messaging at matches, with tournament rules banning “banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature” inside stadiums.

Other U.K. lawmakers also condemned the banner, including Trump ally Nigel Farage, who before the match had also invoked the Falklands War in urging England to win:

Among the Argentina players pictured with the banner were several U.K. Premier League stars, including Manchester United F.C. defender Lisandro Martínez, Liverpool F.C. midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero.

The dispute widened hours after the game when Argentina accused the Royal Navy of carrying out an “unconsulted and illegal” operation near the Falkland Islands.

Argentina’s foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, said a “formal note of protest” had been lodged with the British Embassy after HMS Medway, the Royal Navy’s permanently deployed patrol vessel in the Falklands, allegedly entered Argentine waters earlier this month without notification.

Writing on X, Quirno said Britain was “deepening tensions in the South Atlantic” and described the ship’s movements as a “military incursion.”

Watch above via BBC.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!