The Falkland Islands' government has now issued their response to the controversial banner held up by Argentina players in the aftermath of their World Cup semi-final against England .
Lionel Scaloni's side booked their place in the final of the tournament by staging a dramatic late comeback on Wednesday, knocking the Three Lions out of the competition in the process. A long-range effort from Enzo Fernandez and a header from Lautaro Martinez cancelled out Anthony Gordon's nicely taken opener, setting the South American nation up with Spain in Sunday's showdown at MetLife Stadium.
Wild celebrations ensued at the Atlanta Stadium, and while most of the scenes were good-natured, one specific part of the celebrations has been deemed provocative.
Several Argentine players were pictured holding a banner that read, 'The Falkland Islands are Argentinian', and this political message has unsurprisingly sparked uproar.
Falkland Islands Government Responds to Argentina Banner
In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory 300 miles east of South America's southern Patagonian coast. The British government responded by dispatching a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy, and after a 74-day conflict, the islands were returned to British control.
Thus, it's no surprise that the banner Argentina players chose to hold up after the England game has caused a stir. Sir Keir Starmer condemned the banner and urged FIFA to take action against La Albiceleste.
The Falklands government has now spoken out on the matter, expressing their disappointment over the saga. They released an official press statement on Thursday afternoon.
"The Falkland Islands Government is disappointed - though regrettably not surprised - that the Argentine football team decided to tarnish the result of last night’s World Cup football semi-final - a game that did not in any case involve the Falkland Islands.
"That said, it is hardly news to anyone that the people of the Islands were victims of an aggressive invasion in 1982, which left many traumatised. The banner displayed by Argentina last night, therefore, was particularly insensitive for many people in the Falklands.
"It is the avowed policy of the Falkland Islands Government that we do not wish to see politics being brought into sport. Nor do we wish the Islands and their people to be used as a political football in every conversation about England and Argentina.
"We welcome the UK Government’s supportive statement this morning. As Business Secretary Peter Kyle highlighted, the World Cup has as one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football.
"We hope FIFA will make good on their promise to keep politics out of sport, and sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules.”
Argentina Could be Sanctioned for Falklands Banner
In 2013, a referendum was held in the Falklands about whether to remain British. 99.8% of Falkland islanders voted in favour, yet Argentina continue to lay claim to the South Atlantic archipelago.
It's easy to see how this banner was so contentious, and Argentina may now face serious sanctions.
Strict FIFA rules stipulate that political flags, slogans and symbols are prohibited from being flaunted in stadiums, and this banner can certainly be considered a violation of these rules.
There are countless examples of FIFA taking strong stances on political messaging in FIFA-organised matches or events. In the 2013 World Cup play-offs, Croatian defender Josip Simunic received a ten-match ban after 'leading fans into a chant with pro-Nazi connotations'.
In 2014, Argentina displayed a similar banner to the most recent one about the Falklands. The Argentine Football Association were fined $27,000 for this action. In 2018, Swiss players Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri were fined 10,000 Swiss francs for celebrating goals against Serbia with a 'double-headed Albanian eagle gesture'.
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