Argentina celebrates with controversial banner after World Cup win

Argentina players set off another controversy after the team's win over England in the World Cup semifinals by holding up a banner declaring "the Falklands are Argentine," a reference to the country's claim over the islands that remain a British Overseas Territory.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA have specific rules against players participating in political messaging.

“Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo,” IFAB’s rulebook states.

“For any offense the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organizer, national football association or by FIFA.”

Anticipating tensions around the game due to the 1982 conflict fought between the two countries, Argentina's security minister Alejandra Monteoliva specifically said before the match that flags and banners declaring sovereignty over the territory would not be allowed into the stadium.

"The entry of elements that have any type of provocative message, whether of political or racial content, is prohibited. They will not be able to enter flags or posters with that content," Monteoliva told Argentina radio.

FIFA's Stadium Code of Conduct bans "banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature" inside stadiums.

Argentina players Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso celebrated on the field with the banner, which read "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas." The archipelago is known by Argentines as the Malvinas.

It was not immediately clear where the players obtained the banner.

The Falklands conflict occurred after Argentina's military dictatorship invaded the islands in 1982. The British fleet traveled across the Atlantic and retook the territory after a 74-day undeclared war that resulted in more than 900 deaths.

Argentina's vice president sounds off

On the eve of the match, Argentina's Victoria Villarruel posted incendiary messages on social media regarding her feelings toward the English, saying she refuses to be "politically correct."

"Let's not be so lukewarm as to believe this is just about football, because while they limit it to football, they keep hanging around in our islands, they stick their noses in our sea, and they cross our territory without permission, they usurp our resources, and the whole world stays quiet about it," Villarruel wrote.

Not Argentina's first controversy

After winning the 2024 Copa America, Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez's live stream from the team's bus featured players singing a chant mocking French players with African heritage. He later apologized for what his Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana called "uninhibited racism"

The French Football Federation filed a legal complaint over the discriminatory chants.

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