The UK government has called on Fifa to investigate a controversial banner displayed by Argentina's national team during their World Cup semi-final match against England. The banner, which read 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' or 'The Falkland Islands are Argentinian', has sparked outrage in the UK.
The incident occurred shortly after Argentina's late surge to beat England 2-1, when the team was handed a white sheet from the crowd with the contentious message. The demonstration has been widely criticized, with Business Secretary Peter Kyle describing it as 'entirely inappropriate'.
Kyle emphasized that politics should be separate from football, citing the World Cup's central tenets. He expects Fifa to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. The UK government has backed Kyle's call for an investigation, with a spokesperson stating that 'The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.'
This is not the first time Argentina has faced consequences for displaying a similar message. In 2014, the Argentine Football Association was fined £20,000 by Fifa after players posed behind a sign with the same message. Some politicians are now calling for more severe action, with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey arguing that the Argentine players involved should be barred from the final.
The Falkland Islands have been a point of contention between the UK and Argentina since the two countries fought a war over the sovereignty of the islands in 1982. Argentina's vice president, Victoria Villarruel, has expressed support for the team's display, posting a clip of soldiers from the 1982 war and describing the English team as 'usurping pirates' before the match.
