Argentina await FIFA decision over displaying World Cup Falklands banner

Football's world governing body FIFA is reviewing match reports to determine if any disciplinary action will be taken against Argentina's players. The players displayed a banner asserting "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Falklands are Argentine) following their 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semi-final.

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As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the Fifa disciplinary code.

British officials have urged FIFA to investigate the display, with Business Minister Peter Kyle labeling it an "egregious violation" of FIFA's rules prohibiting political symbols on the field. A Downing Street spokesperson echoed this sentiment, stating, "The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are."

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The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.

FIFA confirmed they are "assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the Fifa disciplinary code." This is not the first time Argentina's football association has faced penalties for similar displays; they were fined £20,000 in 2014 for players posing with a banner bearing the same message.

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Politics needs to be separate from football. In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football.

Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, which Britain occupied in the 19th century. The dispute led to a war in 1982 after Argentina invaded the islands, with Britain regaining control. Argentina's President Javier Milei defended the banner as "perfectly valid and legitimate," asserting that "The Malvinas are Argentine, we're going to recover them, and we will do it through diplomatic means." The tensions were further heightened by Argentina's vice president referring to the English as "usurping pirates."

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It’s a feeling that exists within all Argentines. The Malvinas are Argentine, we’re going to recover them, and we will do it through diplomatic means.