Argentina Players' Falklands Banner After England Win Draws FIFA Scrutiny
Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso held up a sign declaring 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' following the World Cup semifinal victory over England.
Argentina players displayed a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" — the Falklands are Argentina's — after the team's 2-1 World Cup semifinal win over England on Wednesday, reviving a decades-old territorial dispute in the middle of a soccer celebration, Al Jazeera reported.
Defender Lisandro Martinez and midfielder Giovani Lo Celso were pictured holding up the banner in the aftermath of the match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The gesture referenced Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas, a territory administered by Britain and the subject of a 1982 war between the two countries.
The display runs counter to FIFA's Stadium Code of Conduct, which bars political messaging inside tournament venues, according to Al Jazeera. It is not the first time Argentine players have raised the issue at a major tournament, and the timing — moments after eliminating England from the World Cup — added to the charge around the moment.
The banner controversy played out alongside a wave of celebration in Argentina, where fans poured into the streets of Buenos Aires to mark the team's advance to Saturday's final against Spain. It remains to be seen whether FIFA will take disciplinary action over the banner as the tournament moves into its final stage.
— Compiled from reporting by Al Jazeera.