FIFA has been asked by the UK government to take action against Argentina’s Falklands flag following the country’s World Cup semi-final victory over England. In front of the supporters, several players held up white sheets with the words “Argentina, son of Las Malvinas”, which translates into English as “Malvinas is Argentine”. The Malvinas Islands are what Argentina calls the Falkland Islands.
An investigation into their actions was subsequently called for by Business Secretary Peter Kyle. He told the BBC: “Politics needs to be separated from football. In fact, one of the central tenets of the World Cup is that politics is separated from football. It’s now a FIFA issue. I expect FIFA to conduct a thorough investigation.”
The request to FIFA is not far-fetched, as there are clear rules prohibiting political messages on the field. FIFA’s code of conduct prohibits “banners, flags, leaflets, clothing or other paraphernalia of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature”.
Three Lions supporters have already been penalized for a careless breach of FIFA rules by removing a flag containing the Barrow emblem because the submarine on the badge was deemed to be a restricted military image. Argentina’s star players have also come under fire for singing chants reminiscent of the Falkland Islands on their way to the semi-finals.
FIFA has not taken any action regarding these incidents, leaving many angry and questioning the governing body. It remains to be seen whether the Argentine team will be punished for their recent political actions.
Politician Nigel Farage also weighed in on the recent controversy, saying on X: “While I am disgusted by the actions of some Argentine players last night, the most important thing is to strengthen the Royal Navy immediately.”
Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarú emphasized the message from the players even more, posting a post directed at the Xers celebrating by holding up banners. “Falklanders are Argentina! They banned Falklanders from the stadium and forgot that we have Falklanders in our blood and hearts,” Villaruel wrote.
The long-simmering feud between the two countries stems from the question of who owns the South Atlantic islands, which Argentina claims were illegally taken by the British in 1833, with British claims dating back to 1765. In 1982, Britain won a 10-week war after Argentina tried to take back the islands by invasion.
