FIFA has been called on to exclude Argentina from the World Cup after they celebrated their victory over England by raising the Falkland Islands flag. The sovereignty of the British Overseas Territories has emerged as a hot topic after Wednesday’s dramatic semi-final. In the match, England gave up a one-goal lead with six minutes left in stoppage time.
After the final whistle, several Argentina players celebrated by holding up a banner that read “Argentina, son of Las Malvinas,” or “The Falkland Islands are Argentina.” Political messages are prohibited under FIFA rules and could subject Argentina to a hefty fine. However, the majority of Express Sport readers want FIFA to hand down the final punishment.
Just over 90% of respondents in the latest poll said Argentina should be excluded from the World Cup, which would likely mean England return to the final against Spain.
Such a move is completely unprecedented and will almost certainly spark the biggest controversy in the tournament’s 96-year history.
A fine seems the most likely option, given that Argentina were forced to pay £20,000 for a similar incident in 2014 when they put up a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.
After the match against England, the governing body issued a statement confirming that it was considering possible sanctions against Argentina.
“As is standard procedure, FIFA’s Independent Disciplinary Committee is currently evaluating the match report and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on possible further action under the FIFA Disciplinary Code,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Falkland Islands government issued its own statement admitting it was “not surprised” by the Argentine players’ antics.
They said: “The Falkland Islands Government is disappointed, but not surprisingly, by the decision by the Argentine football team to taint the result of last night’s World Cup football semi-final, which in no case involved the Falkland Islands.”
“However, it is news to almost no one that the people of the island were victims of an aggressive invasion in 1982 that left many traumatized.
“The banner that Argentina put up last night was therefore particularly insensitive to many people in the Falkland Islands.
“We hope FIFA will follow through on its promise to remove politics from sport and sanction all this type of behavior in line with its own rules.”
