Argentina could face disciplinary action from FIFA after several players displayed a banner supporting the country’s claim to the Falkland Islands following their World Cup semi-final victory over England.
The reigning world champions defeated England 2-1 on Wednesday in Atlanta. Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez scored late goals to send Argentina into Sunday’s final against Spain.
Banner May Breach FIFA Rules
After the final whistle, Argentina players held up a banner that read, “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”).
The message refers to the long-running sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic.
FIFA prohibits political messages at its competitions. As a result, the display could lead to disciplinary action against the Argentine Football Association or the team.
According to BBC Sport, FIFA fined Argentina £20,000 in 2014 after the national team displayed the same banner before an international friendly against Slovenia.
At the time, FIFA ruled that the action violated its regulations on political messages and team misconduct.
Scaloni Urged Separation of Football and Politics
Before the semi-final, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni stressed that football should remain separate from politics.
“The reality is that this is a football match,” Scaloni said.
“I can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago.”
He described the 1982 Falklands War as a tragic period in history and said the focus should remain on football.
“It was a very sad period in our history. We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match—we shouldn’t confuse the two,” he added.
Match Played Under Tight Security
The semi-final was played under heightened security because of the historical tensions between Argentina and England.
The Falkland Islands have remained the subject of a sovereignty dispute for decades. The disagreement led to the 1982 Falklands War, which claimed the lives of hundreds of Argentine and British servicemen, as well as three islanders.
Argentina will now face Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, while FIFA is expected to review the post-match banner display.
