Argentina face FIFA action over Falklands banner after World Cup

Argentina face the prospect of disciplinary action from FIFA after their players celebrated their World Cup semi-final victory against England with a banner supporting Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands. The defending world champions produced a dramatic late comeback in Atlanta, scoring twice to defeat Thomas Tuchel's side 2-1 and book a showdown with Spain in Sunday's final.

After the final whistle, Argentina players celebrated while holding a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas", which translates as "The Falklands are Argentine". The Falklands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina.

Political reactions

Downing Street backed calls for FIFA to investigate, with the prime minister's official spokesperson saying: "The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our commitment to the Falklands will never waver."

Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarruel posted on X after Wednesday's victory that "it wasn't just another match" alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentine soldiers. "The Falklands are Argentine," Villarruel posted. "They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts." In the build-up to the game, Villarruel had said the semi-final was "about putting the invaders in their place".

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called for the Argentina players who were holding the banner to be suspended for Sunday's final against Spain. In an open letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Davey references when European football's governing body UEFA banned Spain players Alvaro Morata and Rodri for one game after they chanted "Gibraltar is Spanish" during their side's Euro 2024 victory celebrations. Gibraltar is an enclave at Spain's southern tip that has been under British rule since the 18th century, and Spain has long called for its return.

Historical context

Argentina, ruled at the time by a military junta led by General Leopoldo Galtieri, invaded the islands, situated 300 miles off Argentina's east coast, in 1982. The conflict, which lasted for 74 days between April to June 1982, led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen. Three people from the islands also died.

Speaking after the match, Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes said the Falklands War was a "sad part of our history", adding the game "wasn't just a football match" for his nation.

Possible FIFA sanctions

In 2014, FIFA fined the Argentine Football Association £20,000 after its players held up a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia. World football's governing body said the gesture had breached rules on political action and team misconduct.

FIFA takes disciplinary action for general breaches of regulations by players or a country's supporters in the weeks after a tournament, so it would be a surprise if anything happened in the next few days. FIFA could potentially treat this situation more seriously though, because it happened during a World Cup and in a match between the two countries, but there is no prospect of Argentina losing their place in the final.

There is precedent for FIFA banning a player who has held up a banner with a similar political message. After the 2012 Olympic Games bronze medal match, South Korea midfielder Park Jong-woo held a sign in Korean which read "Dokdo is our territory". More commonly known as Liancourt Rocks, Dokdo is a group of inlets administered by South Korea to which Japan holds a claim. Park was charged by FIFA and a few months later handed a two-match suspension, meaning he sat out two World Cup qualifiers.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, England, Wales and other European nations abandoned plans to wear the rainbow coloured OneLove armband because of the threat of players getting yellow cards.