Lionel Scaloni had no interest in getting involved in the commotion over the Falkland Islands. (Image: Getty)
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has called on his players to focus purely on soccer when they face England in the World Cup semi-finals. The accumulation of matches has reopened old wounds between both teams, and the Falkland Islands have become a hot topic. At the beginning of the tournament, Argentina players were filmed singing a chorus about the island after their victory over Egypt.
The two countries famously went to war in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands over a longstanding claim of sovereignty. They were quickly defeated by the British, who succeeded in retaking the island in just 10 weeks, forcing Argentina to surrender. Four decades later, many Argentines still believe the Falklands should be controlled, even though the island’s population overwhelmingly supports remaining a British overseas territory.
Scaloni was asked about the tensions surrounding the Falkland Islands in his press conference on Tuesday, but refused to get drawn into the debate and instead urged his players to stay focused on beating England.
“The reality is that this is a soccer match,” said the Argentina national team head coach. “You can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened many years ago.
“It was a very sad period in our history. There’s not much we can do about it. That’s the reality. It’s a football game. There’s no getting around that.
“It seems crazy to me to start saying this is more than just a football match when things are happening in other parts of the world and we are criticizing the existence of war.
“Of course we remember those people, but this is a football game and we shouldn’t confuse the two.”
After the reigning European champions defeated France on Tuesday night, the semi-final winner will face Spain in New Jersey this weekend.
England, who have not won a World Cup since 1966, are aiming to reach their first final since winning the trophy on home soil.
Islands are a hot topic ahead of the semi-finals (Image: Getty)
Although Argentina won all six matches at this World Cup, there was still criticism regarding their approach and play.
Scaloni hit back at his critics, declaring: “The team hasn’t played as badly as people say. We must have done the right things to reach this stage.”
“I’m grateful to the players. They led us to three titles and now we’re in the semi-finals again. We’re one step away and we’ll do everything we can to get there.”
“I don’t care how we feel. We’re in the World Cup semi-finals. A month and a half ago I would have signed this without hesitation.”
“It doesn’t matter if we’re tired or not because we’re incredibly excited. The goal is to get here by any means necessary and here we are.
“We’re doing well and we’re very excited. We’ve been talking about things that we think we need to improve on. We’re playing a great team and I hope we can get through.”
England have not played Argentina in a competitive game since 2002. The most recent encounter was in 2005, when the Three Lions achieved a 3-2 friendly victory over the South American nation.
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