Ian Wright faced strong criticism from Falklands War veterans after he described the England vs Argentina World Cup semi-final as a 'war' during ITV's coverage. Those who fought in the 1982 conflict, which lasted 10 weeks and claimed the lives of 255 British servicemen, were quick to dismiss comparisons between the football match and the actual battlefield.
Veterans condemn 'war' language
Peter Robinson, a Falklands veteran who served with 40 Commando, told The Telegraph: 'Sport should be sport. Conflicts are conflicts. Never should the two meet. It's absolutely not a battlefield.' Simon Weston, one of the 775 British soldiers wounded in the South Atlantic, also spoke out: 'Some people describe a footballer as a hero on the field, but that's completely misusing the language. They're footballers. It's hardly like they're risking their lives on the pitch. It's nothing like a battlefield. This is a sporting fixture and has no bearing or relevance to what happened 44 years ago.'
Wright's comments on ITV
Speaking before the match, Wright said: 'It's a country that, as time's gone by, I've learnt a lot about them, and I have no love for them. Obviously, Maradona's somebody that's done some amazing things I've seen. It's a team that we have to beat, and it's going to be a tough one; it's going to be a real tough one, a real attritional war we're going into, and we have to recognise that.' He added: 'I've heard Thomas Tuchel saying it's just a game. It's not just a game, and they'll realise it's not just a game. It's going to be more than that when they play.'
Argentina players stoke tensions
After full-time, Argentina players displayed a banner claiming the Falkland Islands as their own, a move that could lead to FIFA sanctions. Earlier in the tournament, the squad had sung about the Falklands following their quarter-final win over Egypt, though they insisted the chants were not political.
Tuchel's pre-match view
England manager Thomas Tuchel addressed the historical rivalry in his pre-match press conference, stating: 'I would say it's irrelevant, but I'm not sure about it. I think the players are very aware of both countries, what it means to them. If a fixture provides so many iconic moments, I think you cannot just say it's just another football match. But as a coach, we do exactly that: focus on what we can influence. We don't actually speak about the historic events. We don't speak about the iconic moments. It's in itself iconic enough, and attention is big enough.'
