UK Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle has described the behaviour of Argentina’s players as “entirely inappropriate” after they waved a banner supporting their country’s claim to the Falkland Islands following their World Cup semi-final victory over England.
Match and Banner Incident
Argentina, the defending champions, defeated England 2-1 in Wednesday’s match in Atlanta. After the final whistle, Argentine fans near the pitch held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falkland Islands are Argentinian”). The banner was then passed to the players, who held it up during their celebrations.
The incident could lead to disciplinary action from FIFA, as the governing body’s rules prohibit political messaging on the pitch.
Minister’s Response
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Kyle said: “My reaction is that it was entirely inappropriate. Politics needs to be separate from football. In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football. That is now a matter for FIFA. I expect FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly.”
He added: “We expect FIFA to undertake an investigation into this. I think it was certain to happen because it was such an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football.”
Political Context
Political tensions between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands remain high, stemming from a brief but bloody war in 1982. Buenos Aires has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the islands, which lie about 8,000 miles from Britain and 300 miles from mainland Argentina.
Before the match, Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni said he did not want the fixture to become about the conflict. However, Argentina’s Vice-President Victoria Villarruel had earlier described England as “invaders” and “usurping pirates,” and tweeted a victory message at full-time saying “it wasn’t just another match,” alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers.
