UK urges FIFA to investigate Argentina over Falklands banner at World Cup

Argentina fans hold a banner with the words "The Malvinas are Argentinian", referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta. (AP)

LONDON, July 16 (AP): The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s team after players celebrating their 2-1 win over England in the World Cup semifinals posed with a banner that claimed sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands.

During post-match celebrations on Wednesday in Atlanta, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans, reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas” - "The Malvinas are Argentine.”

Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina's then-military dictatorship, triggering a 10-week war won by Britain.

"The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are," a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday. "Self-determination rests with the islanders, and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.”

Starmer supported calls for FIFA to investigate, the spokesperson said, after U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the players’ behavior was "entirely inappropriate."

FIFA can prosecute Argentina's players and soccer federation because its disciplinary code prohibits at stadiums any "message that is not appropriate for a sports event,” including those of "a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.”

The FIFA fines for political messaging range from around $5,000 to $20,000. FIFA was approached for comment on Thursday.

Argentine President Javier Milei described the players' celebration with the banner as "perfectly valid," saying the message "reflects a sentiment shared by all Argentines.” But he said he expected FIFA to sanction the team with a fine.

"What the players do is understandable; they get carried away by their emotions, they act on impulse, and that will likely lead to discussions about a fine,” Milei told a local Buenos Aires radio station.

Vice President Victoria Villarruel was more vocal in her support, posting a photo on social media of the players raising the banner with the caption: "The Malvinas are Argentine! They banned us from bringing (signs) into the stadium, forgetting that we carry them in our blood and in our hearts.”

A FIFA disciplinary case under previous leadership banned a South Korea player for two 2014 World Cup qualifying games because he held up a similar banner about a territorial claim against Japan at the 2012 London Olympics. Park Jong-woo took a fan banner with the slogan "Dokdo is our territory” after South Korea beat Japan in the men's bronze medal game.

On Wednesday, Argentina player Lisandro Martínez was asked if the banner could have stirred deep emotions for veterans of the conflict.

"We couldn’t let the Argentine people down,” said Martínez, who has played in England for the past four years with Manchester United.