Argentina has been given the green light to unfurl a banner referencing the Falkland Islands at this Sunday's World Cup final. After beating England in Wednesday's semi-final, members of Argentina's squad stood behind a flag that made reference to the Falkland Islands, leading to days of consternation and calls for the team to be punished. The banner featured the phrase "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" which translates as "The Falklands are Argentine".
FIFA Review and Decision
Naturally, that has only added to existing tensions between the two nations, with FIFA having confirmed it would review the incident. A FIFA spokesperson said: "As is standard procedure, FIFA's independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA disciplinary code."
There was never any prospect that the world champions would be kicked out of Sunday's final against Spain, but according to Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol, it would seem they've escaped any punishment before the final. Not only that, but they've essentially been encouraged to fly the flag again in New Jersey this weekend.
Encouragement from US Official
"There are zero suspensions for the Argentina players," said Solhekol in New York. "Basically hat FIFA have been doing is trying to keep very, very quiet and wait until the final is out of the way before deciding what action they are going to take."
"Actually the Argentina players had some encouragement in New York yesterday to display that banner again after the game tomorrow, especially if they win the game." Because the head of the White House FIFA task force, Andrew Giuliani, was asked about the fact that Argentina players displayed that banner in Atlanta on Wednesday. "He was asked if he had a problem with it and he said pretty much no, not really."
Freedom of Speech vs FIFA Rules
"Everyone is allowed to express their opinion and here in the United States we have freedom of speech. It's protected by the First Amendment." Article continues below. "I understand what he's saying, but I'm not sure if he knows FIFA's rules. Because FIFA's rules ban all political messages at games."
So let's wait and see what happens. Argentina's players still have that banner. I saw a member of Argentina's staff fold the banner and take it away with him on Wednesday.
