New footage reveals how Malvinas flag reached Argentine players at World Cup

Unseen footage has emerged showing the moment a flag bearing the inscription "Las Malvinas son argentinas" (The Malvinas are Argentine) was passed to Argentine players following their 2-1 World Cup semifinal victory against England. The video, shared by an Argentine fan who discovered the recording while reviewing footage from the tournament, captures the flag being thrown from the stands onto the field during post-match celebrations on July 15.

The footage shows midfielder Giovani Lo Celso retrieving the flag. After reading the message, he displayed it to the crowd alongside defenders Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero before unfurling it on the pitch. This sequence provides context for the flag's appearance during the celebration, which had previously fueled speculation on social media and led to widespread image sharing.

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The flag tells a truth. There is no diplomatic crisis with the United Kingdom. We have a fundamental difference regarding the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.

The episode has generated significant political and sporting fallout. Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno stated this week that the flag displayed by the footballers "tells a truth" regarding Argentina's sovereignty claim over the disputed Falkland Islands, also known as the Malvinas. "We have nothing to apologize for. The flag tells a truth. There is no diplomatic crisis with the United Kingdom. We have a fundamental difference regarding the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands," Quirno declared, emphasizing that the players' action was "completely spontaneous" as the flag was thrown from the stands.

Quirno's comments followed FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announcing the opening of proceedings against the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The proceedings cite, among other reasons, the potential violation of rules prohibiting the use of sporting events for non-sporting demonstrations.

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completely spontaneous