Argentina’s celebrations following their dramatic World Cup semi-final win over England were overshadowed by the display of a banner referencing the Falkland Islands, a message that falls foul of FIFA’s own stadium regulations.
Players including Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez unveiled a banner reading Las Malvinas son Argentinas, translating as the Malvinas are Argentine, on the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta after Argentina’s 2-1 comeback win on 15 July. Images from the celebrations showed several other key figures, including Lionel Messi and Giuliano Simeone, in close proximity to the banner as it was displayed before eventually being removed from the pitch and taken into the stands.
FIFA’s regulations explicitly prohibit banners, flags, apparel or other materials of a political, offensive or discriminatory nature inside stadiums, and the governing body had reportedly issued a specific ruling ahead of the match barring supporters from bringing any reference to the 1982 conflict into the ground.
The Falklands War was fought over sovereignty of the South Atlantic islands, known as the Falklands to Britain and the Malvinas to Argentina, which have been under British control since 1833 but remain the subject of an ongoing Argentine claim. The 74 day conflict, which ran from 2 April to 14 June 1982, claimed 907 lives in total, including 649 Argentine service personnel, 255 British troops and three civilian islanders.
The banner display comes at a sensitive moment given the fixture’s broader historical context, with Argentina and England meeting at a World Cup for the first time since Diego Maradona’s infamous display at the 1986 tournament, a match still remembered in England for his Hand of God goal and remembered in Argentina as a symbolic act of revenge following the war four years earlier.
Argentina’s win, secured through late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez after England had taken an early second half lead through Anthony Gordon, sends Lionel Scaloni’s side into a second consecutive World Cup final, where they will face European champions Spain in New Jersey on Monday as they bid to retain the trophy they won in Qatar four years ago.
