Argentinian players celebrated beating England in the World Cup semi-final with a banner reading “The Malvinas are Argentine” in a reference to the Falkland Islands.
Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso was among those holding the sign as his teammates danced on the pitch after their 2-1 win over the Three Lions in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Political slogans are banned from being displayed on the pitch or on players’ equipment according to Fifa rules.
Tension had again been building before the match over the sovereignty of the Falklands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, 300 miles off the coast of Argentina which have been a British Overseas Territory since 1833.
In 1982, 907 people – 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 from Britain and three Falkland Islanders – died in the Falklands War, when the then-incumbent far-right Argentinian military dictatorship invaded the islands.
The islands are still claimed by Argentina, and are frequently subject to numerous chants and flags at football games. After their last-16 win over Egypt, their players celebrated by singing: “For the Malvinas, for Diego [Maradona], for Leo [Messi]’s last one.”
The flames had been stoked further prior to the semi-final when Argentina’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel called England “invaders” and “usurping pirates”.
“Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates,” he wrote on X.
“This isn’t just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more. It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders. Go Argentina! Because until our last breath, we’re going to claim what’s ours!”
Argentina’s foreign minister Pablo Quirno also claimed Falklands Islanders were an “artificially implanted” population. He wrote in La Nacion: “For this reason, no referendum organised unilaterally by the United Kingdom can have legal effect on a controversy whose resolution belongs exclusively to Argentina and the United Kingdom through negotiations.”
Downing Street flatly rejected his claims, saying the Falkland islanders are “British with a right to determine their own future”.
Asked about Mr Quirno’s comments, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Well, no.” He added: “The UK’s position is clear. The islanders have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory, and their right to self-determination is paramount.”
The tension inside the game appeared to also spill outside with reports of fighting outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta following the match, with police seen taking at least three people away.
