Argentina's players are set to face disciplinary action from Fifa after celebrating their World Cup semi-final win over England with a banner in support of their country's claims 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". This is not the first time Argentina players have been involved in controversy over the Falklands, with Fifa fining the Argentine Football Association £20,000 in 2014 after its players held up a similar banner before a friendly against Slovenia.
The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina. The two nations went to war over the group of islands from April to June 1982, resulting in the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen. Three people from the islands also died. The conflict has left a lasting impact on both countries, with Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarruel posting on X after the match, "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."
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni had said before the semi-final that he was "not going to mix" football and politics, stating, "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." However, it seems that his players did not receive the same message, with chants referencing the Falklands and Argentina greats Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi being sung by the team following their dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16. The semi-final was held under increased security measures due to the historical tensions between the two nations, but it seems that these measures were not enough to prevent Argentina's players from displaying their controversial banner.
The World Cup has been marked by controversy and drama, and it seems that Argentina's actions have not gone unnoticed by Fifa. The governing body is likely to take action against the Argentine Football Association, but the extent of any potential punishment remains to be seen. The World Cup final will take place on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see how Argentina's players react to the controversy surrounding their actions in the semi-final.
Source: Yahoo Sports
