{"id":938782,"date":"2026-07-16T12:16:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T12:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/938782\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T12:16:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T12:16:22","slug":"uk-urges-fifa-investigation-of-argentina-over-falklands-banner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/938782\/","title":{"rendered":"UK urges FIFA investigation of Argentina over Falklands banner"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON (AP) \u2014 The British government on Thursday urged FIFA<\/a> to investigate Argentina\u2019s team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Argentina beat England 2-1<\/a> in a World Cup<\/a> semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

During post-match celebrations, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans in the stands, reading \u201cLas Malvinas son Argentinas\u201d \u2014 \u201cThe Malvinas are Argentine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina\u2019s then-military dictatorship, triggering a 10-week war<\/a> won by Britain.<\/p>\n

U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the players\u2019 behavior was \u201centirely inappropriate. I expect FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly.\u201d<\/p>\n

FIFA can prosecute Argentina\u2019s players and soccer federation because its disciplinary code<\/a> prohibits at stadiums any \u201cmessage that is not appropriate for a sports event\u201d including those of \u201ca political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FIFA fines for political messaging are $5,000 to $20,000.<\/p>\n

FIFA was approached for comment Thursday.<\/p>\n

A FIFA disciplinary case under previous leadership banned a South Korea player<\/a> for two 2014 World Cup qualifying games because he held up a similar banner about a territorial claim against Japan at the 2012 London Olympics. Park Jong-woo took a fan banner with the slogan \u201cDokdo is our territory\u201d after South Korea beat Japan in the men\u2019s bronze medal game.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Argentina player Lisandro Mart\u00ednez was asked if the banner could have stirred deep emotions and tears for a veteran of the Malvinas conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t let the Argentine people down\u201d said Mart\u00ednez, who has played in England for the past four years with Manchester United.<\/p>\n

Argentina-England soccer rivalry<\/p>\n

The sporting rivalry between the two countries is heightened by political tensions over the South Atlantic archipelago. It is a British overseas territory with a population of around 3,500 people located about 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) from the U.K. and 300 miles (480 kilometers) from Argentina.<\/p>\n

\"England's<\/p>\n

\n England’s Elliot Anderson (8) reacts after Argentina scored a second goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Erik S. Lesser)\n <\/p>\n

England’s Elliot Anderson (8) reacts after Argentina scored a second goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Erik S. Lesser)<\/p>\n

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\"Argentina's<\/p>\n

\n Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) and England’s Harry Kane (9) embrace after the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Erik S. Lesser)\n <\/p>\n

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) and England’s Harry Kane (9) embrace after the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Erik S. Lesser)<\/p>\n

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Argentina argues that the islands were illegally taken from it in 1833. Britain, which says its territorial claim dates to 1765, sent a warship to the islands in 1833 to expel Argentine forces who sought to establish sovereignty over the territory.<\/p>\n

The war in 1982 killed 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service personnel and three islanders.<\/p>\n

That conflict ended during the 1982 World Cup in Spain where Argentina, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all played. British television networks declined to broadcast Argentina playing in the tournament\u2019s opening game, when the defending champion lost to Belgium.<\/p>\n

\u201cSadly, it is a sad part of our history,\u201d Argentina player Leandro Paredes said in Atlanta about the banner, \u201cfor everyone involved in that chapter of, I repeat, our history. And it hurts. We knew we were playing for them, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Politics in soccer<\/p>\n

British government minister Kyle told the BBC \u201cpolitics needs to be separate from football.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is now a matter for FIFA.\u201d<\/p>\n

FIFA\u2019s statutory political neutrality has been questioned at this World Cup after its president, Gianni Infantino, and disciplinary process \u2014 which could now judge Argentina \u2014 seemed to cave to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> in allowing United States forward Folarin Balogun to play Belgium in the round of 16.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Argentina<\/p>\n

Argentina fans hold a banner with the words \u201cThe Malvinas are Argentinian\u201d, referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

Argentina fans hold a banner with the words \u201cThe Malvinas are Argentinian\u201d, referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

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Balogun was shown a red card in the previous round and FIFA disciplinary rules mandated he should be banned from his team\u2019s next game. FIFA deferred that suspension for one year of probation, provoking an all-time controversy in modern World Cup history<\/a>. Belgium beat the U.S.<\/a> 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Infantino is expected to sit with Trump and Argentina President Javier Milei, who are political allies<\/a>, at the World Cup final Sunday. Argentina plays Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Previous cases<\/p>\n

Argentina players showed the same \u201cLas Malvinas son Argentinas\u201d slogan at a warmup game in June 2014 in Buenos Aires for the World Cup that started days later in Brazil.<\/p>\n

FIFA\u2019s disciplinary panel ruling<\/a> in that case was published after the tournament finished and fined the Argentina federation 30,000 Swiss francs ($37,000).<\/p>\n

In the 2012 London Olympics case, FIFA\u2019s ruling said the conduct of the South Korea player \u201ccannot be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the 2022 World Cup, FIFA fined the Serbia federation 20,000 Swiss francs ($24,800) for hanging a political banner<\/a> about neighboring independent state Kosovo in the locker room before playing Brazil.<\/p>\n

It showed a map of Serbia that included the territory of Kosovo, which has been an independent state since 2008, and the slogan \u201cNo Surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Dunbar contributed from Geneva<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

See more of AP\u2019s World Cup coverage here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LONDON (AP) \u2014 The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina\u2019s team after players posed with…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":938783,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[2841,114804,355325,1613,69,329882,2034,6061,8897,57,6072,24720,1612,374713,378037,50,100233,221,4217,62,376,4338,103,107],"class_list":["post-938782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-argentina","tag-argentina-government","tag-argentina-national-soccer-team","tag-central-america","tag-donald-trump","tag-england-national-soccer-team","tag-fifa","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-folarin-balogun","tag-general-news","tag-gianni-infantino","tag-javier-milei","tag-latin-america","tag-leandro-paredes","tag-lisandro-martnez","tag-news","tag-peter-kyle","tag-soccer","tag-south-america","tag-sports","tag-united-kingdom","tag-united-kingdom-government","tag-world","tag-world-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=938782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/938783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=938782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=938782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=938782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}