Argentina's ultranationalist vice president Victoria Villarruel, whose father fought in the Falklands War, used her team's World Cup victory over England to make a political statement, declaring 'The Falklands are Argentine' on social media.
Political Statement After Victory
Following Argentina's 2-1 defeat of England, Villarruel posted a picture on X of Argentina players holding up a banner reading 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' (The Malvinas belong to Argentina). She wrote: 'The Falklands are Argentine! They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts.'
FIFA's stadium code of conduct prohibits political banners, but the Argentine team displayed the banner after the match. Some players had earlier been heard chanting for the Malvinas after their quarter-final win against Switzerland.
Pre-Match Rhetoric
Ahead of the match in Atlanta, Villarruel had called England 'usurping pirates' in a post, saying: 'Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates. This isn't just another match. I'm not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it's always something more. It's the Malvinas, it's Diego, it's Leo's last one, and it's putting the brakes on the invaders.'
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said he would 'not going to mix' politics, but players including Lisandro Martinez, Lo Celso, Messi, Exequiel Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Romero, and Lautaro Martinez held the banner for fans.
Historical Context
Argentina disputes British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which it calls Las Malvinas. The dispute led to the 74-day Falklands War in 1982, ending with Argentina's surrender. The war caused 649 Argentine, 255 British, and three islander deaths. The islands were first claimed by Britain in 1765, and a 2013 referendum saw islanders vote overwhelmingly to remain a UK overseas territory.
