Players of Argentina team show a banner that reads in Spanish, "The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina," after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match against England at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday (as per BST) -Reuters LONDON, July 16 (Agencies): Britain has urged FIFA to investigate Argentina's players after they displayed a banner asserting the country's claim over the disputed Falkland Islands during post-match celebrations following their World Cup semi-final victory over England.
Argentina defeated England 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. After the match, several Argentine players posed with a banner handed to them by fans that read, "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Malvinas are Argentine"), referring to the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory that Argentina calls the Malvinas.
The display immediately triggered political controversy, with the British government accusing Argentina of violating FIFA's rules prohibiting political messages at stadiums.
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle described the incident as "entirely inappropriate" and called on football's governing body to investigate.
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