Argentina could be investigated by FIFA after several players celebrated their World Cup semi-final victory over England by displaying a banner reaffirming the country's claim to the Falkland Islands.
Following the final whistle, a number of Argentine players held up a banner bearing the message, "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine"), a political statement that could attract disciplinary action from world football's governing body.
The Falkland Islands, known as Las Malvinas in Argentina, remain at the centre of a decades-long sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom. The disagreement led to the 1982 Falklands War, a 74-day conflict that resulted in the deaths of 655 Argentine soldiers, 255 British military personnel and three island residents.
FIFA has previously sanctioned Argentina over a similar incident. In 2014, the Argentine Football Association was fined £20,000 after the national team displayed the same banner before an international friendly against Slovenia. At the time, FIFA ruled that the display breached its regulations banning political messages at football events.
The controversy deepened after Argentina's Vice President, Victoria Villarruel, shared a video on X following the victory, writing, "It wasn't just another match." She also declared, "The Falklands are Argentine. They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts."
FIFA has yet to comment on whether it will open disciplinary proceedings over the latest incident.
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