Lorraine Kelly has called Argentina 'shameful' in a heated message following England's heartbreaking World Cup exit. Thomas Tuchel's side lost 2-1 to the reigning world champions in Miami on Wednesday night (July 16), dashing hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966.
England's Lead Slips Away
Things were going well for the Three Lions when Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the second half. However, Tuchel made a string of defensive changes to protect the lead. Two late goals from Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martínez sent England crashing out of the tournament.
Controversial Banner Sparks Outrage
After the game, controversial scenes unfolded when a group of Argentinian players held a hand-painted banner reading 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas', meaning 'The Falklands are Argentine'. The banner echoed words from Argentinian President Javier Milei, who wrote earlier this year that the islands 'were, are and will always be Argentine'. Argentina claims it inherited the islands, which it calls Las Malvinas, from Spain after its independence in 1816, and argues that Britain took control in 1833 through an illegal colonial act. A brief war in 1982 over the disputed territory left diplomatic relations frosty for over four decades.
Lorraine Kelly's Fiery Response
Taking to Instagram on Thursday morning, the ITV star, who traveled to the US last month to support Scotland, shared an image of the Argentinian players holding the banner and called for FIFA to take action. She wrote: 'SHAMEFUL!! FIFA should throw the book at them. What an insult to the Falkland Islanders and to all our brave British armed forces who fought in the Falklands War. I hope Spain give them a right humping in the final. #falklands.'
FIFA Sanctions Loom
Argentina is preparing to face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday (July 19). However, they face potential sanctions from FIFA over the incident. According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), 'equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images'. The rulebook states: 'Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo. For any offence, the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.'
Argentinian Vice-President Responds
Meanwhile, Argentinian Vice-President Victoria Villarruel took to X (formerly Twitter) after the game to share a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers. She wrote: 'Argentina World Cup finalist! Thank you Enzo, Thank you Lautaro, Thank you Argentina National Team for giving us one more joy! It wasn't just another match!'
