- FIFA said its independent disciplinary committee is assessing match reports and relevant circumstances.
- Argentina players were reported to have displayed a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” after the semi-final.
- The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory claimed by Argentina.
FIFA says it is reviewing match reports after Argentina players displayed a banner referring to the Falkland Islands following their reported World Cup semi-final win over England in Atlanta.
According to the account, Argentina’s players held a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” after the final whistle. “Malvinas” is the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic whose sovereignty is disputed by the United Kingdom and Argentina.
A FIFA spokesperson said the governing body’s independent disciplinary committee was assessing the reports and the relevant circumstances before deciding whether further steps were warranted under the FIFA disciplinary code.
Political expression in football
FIFA regulations restrict political messaging at matches, though the outcome of any disciplinary process has not been announced. The report said Argentina’s football association was fined by FIFA in 2014 after a similar banner was displayed before a friendly against Slovenia.
British political figures, including representatives of the UK government and opposition parties, called for FIFA to investigate. The Falkland Islands government also expressed disappointment over the display and said it hoped FIFA would apply its rules to political conduct in sport.
Argentina President Javier Milei was reported to have described the players’ expression as understandable, while saying the dispute should be pursued through diplomacy rather than events on the pitch.
Long-running sovereignty dispute
The islands have been at the centre of a long-running dispute between the UK and Argentina. Argentina invaded the territory in 1982, leading to a 74-day conflict with the UK. In a 2013 referendum, voters in the Falkland Islands overwhelmingly backed retaining the territory’s status as a UK overseas territory.
The source report said Argentina are due to face Spain in the final and that there is no indication their place in that match is under threat. Any sanction, if FIFA decides one is justified, would be determined separately by its disciplinary bodies.
FIFA has previously acted in cases involving territorial or political messages. The report cited a two-match suspension imposed on South Korea midfielder Park Jong-woo after he displayed a sign about the disputed Dokdo islets at the 2012 Olympic Games.
