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Argentina stars hold Falklands banner after World Cup win over England

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Argentinian players displayed a banner proclaiming "The Falklands are Argentine" after their World Cup victory over England.
  • The banner, held by players Lisandro Martínez and Giovani Lo Celso, may violate FIFA's rules against political messaging in stadiums.
  • FIFA has stated it will address potential violations for bringing the game into disrepute after the tournament concludes.

Argentinian players ignited controversy by displaying a banner that read "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" (The Falklands are Argentine) following their 2-1 World Cup triumph over England. Lisandro Martínez and Giovani Lo Celso held the banner aloft, waving to fans in the stands.

The display appears to contravene FIFA's stadium code of conduct, which prohibits political, offensive, or discriminatory banners and paraphernalia. The origin of the banner was unclear.

The sovereignty dispute over the South Atlantic islands, known as the Falklands to Britain and the Malvinas to Argentina, has been a long-standing point of contention between the two nations. They engaged in a brief conflict over the islands in 1982, resulting in significant casualties.

FIFA has indicated that it will only issue fines for actions that bring the game into disrepute after the tournament has concluded. This incident follows other instances of political messaging during the World Cup, including pre-revolutionary flags waved by Iranian Americans during a match in Los Angeles.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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