LONDON (AP) 鈥� The British government on Thursday urged to investigate Argentina鈥檚 team after players celebrating their in the semifinals posed with a banner that claimed sovereignty over the contested .
During post-match celebrations Wednesday in Atlanta, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans, reading 鈥淟as Malvinas son Argentinas鈥� 鈥� 鈥淭he Malvinas are Argentine.鈥�
Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina’s then-military dictatorship, triggering won by Britain.
鈥淭he World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday. “Self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.鈥�
Starmer supported calls for FIFA to investigate, the spokesperson said, after U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the players鈥� behavior was 鈥渆ntirely inappropriate.”
FIFA can prosecute Argentina’s players and soccer federation because its prohibits at stadiums any 鈥渕essage that is not appropriate for a sports event鈥� including those of 鈥渁 political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.鈥�
The FIFA fines for political messaging range from around $5,000 to $20,000. FIFA was approached for comment Thursday.
Argentine President Javier Milei described the players’ celebration with the banner as 鈥減erfectly valid,” saying the message 鈥渞eflects a sentiment shared by all Argentines.鈥� But he said he expected FIFA to sanction the team with a fine.
鈥淲hat the players do is understandable; they get carried away by their emotions, they act on impulse, and that will likely lead to discussions about a fine,鈥� Milei told a local Buenos Aires radio station.
Vice President Victoria Villarruel was more vocal in her support, posting a photo on social media of the players raising the banner with the caption: 鈥淭he Malvinas are Argentine! They banned us from bringing (signs) into the stadium, forgetting that we carry them in our blood and in our hearts.鈥�
A FIFA disciplinary case under previous leadership 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 鈥淒okdo is our territory鈥� after South Korea beat Japan in the men’s bronze medal game.
On Wednesday, Argentina player Lisandro Mart铆nez was asked if the banner could have stirred deep emotions for veterans of the conflict.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 let the Argentine people down鈥� said Mart铆nez, who has played in England for the past four years with Manchester United.
Argentina-England soccer rivalry
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.
Argentina argues 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.
The war in 1982 killed 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service personnel and three islanders.
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’s opening game, when the defending champion lost to Belgium.
鈥淪adly, it is a sad part of our history,” Argentina player Leandro Paredes said in Atlanta about the banner, 鈥渇or everyone involved in that chapter of, I repeat, our history. And it hurts. We knew we were playing for them, too.鈥�
Politics in soccer
British government minister Kyle told the BBC “politics needs to be separate from football.鈥�
鈥淚n fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football,” he said. 鈥淭hat is now a matter for FIFA.鈥�
FIFA’s statutory political neutrality has been questioned at this World Cup after its president, Gianni Infantino, and disciplinary process 鈥� which could now judge Argentina 鈥� seemed to cave to in allowing United States forward Folarin Balogun to play Belgium in the round of 16.
Balogun was shown a red card in the previous round and FIFA disciplinary rules mandated he should be banned from his team’s next game. FIFA deferred that suspension for one year of probation, provoking an all-time . 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Infantino is expected to sit with Trump at the World Cup final Sunday. Argentina plays Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Previous cases
Argentina players showed the same 鈥淟as Malvinas son Argentinas鈥� slogan at a warm-up game in June 2014 in Buenos Aires for the World Cup that started days later in Brazil.
FIFA’s in that case was published after the tournament finished and fined the Argentina federation 30,000 Swiss francs ($37,000).
In the 2012 London Olympics case, FIFA’s ruling said the conduct of the South Korea player “cannot be tolerated.鈥�
At the 2022 World Cup, FIFA fined the Serbia federation 20,000 Swiss francs ($24,800) for about neighboring independent state Kosovo in the locker room before playing Brazil. It showed a map of Serbia that included the territory of Kosovo, which has been an independent state since 2008, and the slogan 鈥淣o Surrender.鈥�
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Dunbar contributed from Geneva. Associated Press writer Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report.
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