The players of the Argentinian national team displayed a banner with the message "The Falkland Islands are Argentine" right after defeating England (2-1) and qualifying for the World Cup final, where they will face Spain next Sunday. The gesture, banned by FIFA, could lead to a fine for their federation, but the players defended the action.
"And they will always be Argentine" affirmed Leandro Paredes, one of the key players of the team led by Lionel Scaloni, when asked by the press about displaying the flag with the silhouette of the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic over which Argentina and the United Kingdom fought a war in 1982.
In the days leading up to the match, there was a growing public debate in Argentina about the symbolic significance of Wednesday's match against England, beyond the sporting aspect.
Considered a high-risk match due to the strong rivalry between the two sets of fans, the security authorities of the United States and FIFA had prohibited fans from entering the Atlanta stadium where Thursday's match was played with "political" flags or emblems, including those related to the Falkland Islands.
The British government stated on Thursday that they expect FIFA to open an investigation into the controversial banner. During an interview with the BBC, the British Minister of Science, Innovation, and Technology, Peter Kyle, stated that the players' gesture "was completely inappropriate" and emphasized that "politics should be kept out of football".
"I hope that FIFA conducts a thorough investigation," said Kyle, who highlighted that "one of the fundamental principles of the World Cup is that politics should be separated from football".
After the match ended and still on the field, it was the Argentine midfielder Giovanni Lo Celso who displayed a Falkland Islands flag, an archipelago under British control that Argentina claims sovereignty over.
Several players also chanted "he who doesn't jump is English", a chant that Argentine fans always sing during matches, even against teams other than the English.
When asked about the flag, Lautaro Martínez, scorer of the second goal against England, mentioned that, although the Falklands War "happened many years ago", this was not "just another match" for the team led by Lionel Messi.
"Beyond everything, we tried to leave aside the anxiety, everything that was generated off the field. But for us, it wasn't a match like any other. It was a special match," he admitted.
The Argentine Vice President, Victoria Villarruel, also supported the players' display of the flag.
"The Falkland Islands are Argentine! They banned us from taking them to the field and forgot that we carry them in our blood and heart," expressed Villarruel on social media, who has a strained relationship with the Argentine President, Javier Milei.