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The British government urged FIFA on Thursday to investigate the Argentine national team after several players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the disputed Falkland Islands.
Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the second semifinal of the World Cup held on Wednesday in Atlanta.
During the post-match celebrations, Argentine soccer players held a banner given to them by fans in the stands that read, "The Falklands are Argentine."
Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as the Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 by order of the then-Argentine military dictatorship, triggering a 10-week war won by the United Kingdom.
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle stated that the players' behavior was "totally inappropriate. I hope FIFA carries out its investigation thoroughly."
Argentine President Javier Milei addressed the incident on Thursday, telling Buenos Aires radio station El Observador that the players' gesture "is a sentiment shared by all Argentines and it is perfectly valid that they want to express themselves and do so," although "that should not lead to misinterpretations."
"A soccer match is a soccer match. That is how the coach (Lionel Scaloni) understood it; that is how the veterans (of the war against Great Britain) understood it, and indeed the Falklands are Argentine, we are going to recover them... diplomatically and through intelligent action," the president maintained in a long interview.
"The things that happen on the pitch with the players are not part of diplomacy; therefore, in the worst-case scenario, Argentina will suffer a $30,000 fine, and there shouldn't be any consequence beyond that," the president added, although FIFA has not reported what the penalty might be should it decide to launch an investigation. "What the players did is understandable; emotion gets the better of them, they do it, and that will probably lead to a discussion about a financial penalty."
Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva had warned before the match that Argentine fans could not enter the stadium with "bottles and items that have any type of provocative message, whether of a political or racial nature."
The world soccer governing body can prosecute Argentine players and the soccer federation because its disciplinary code prohibits any "message that is not appropriate for a sporting event" in stadiums, including those of a "political, ideological, religious, or offensive nature."
FIFA fines for political messages typically range between $5,000 and $20,000.
FIFA was contacted on Thursday for comment on the issue.
A FIFA disciplinary case under previous leadership sanctioned a South Korean player with a two-match ban for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers because he displayed a similar banner regarding a territorial claim against Japan at the 2012 London Olympics. Park Jong-woo took a banner from a fan with the slogan "Dokdo is our territory" after South Korea defeated Japan in the men's bronze medal match.
On Wednesday, Argentine player Lisandro Martínez was asked if the banner could have awakened deep emotions and tears in veterans of the Falklands conflict.
"We couldn't fail the Argentine people," replied Martínez, who has been playing in England for Manchester United for four years.
Rivalidad futbolística Argentina-Inglaterra
The sporting rivalry between the two countries is intensified by political tensions over the South Atlantic archipelago. It is a British Overseas Territory with a population of around 3,500 people, located about 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) from the UK and 480 km (300 miles) from Argentina.
Argentina maintains that the islands were illegally seized from them in 1833. The UK, which claims its territorial claim dates back to 1765, sent a warship to the islands in 1833 to expel the Argentine forces that had attempted to establish sovereignty over the territory.
The 1982 war claimed the lives of 649 Argentine soldiers, 255 British service personnel, and three islanders.
That conflict ended during the 1982 World Cup in Spain, where Argentina, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland also competed. British television networks declined to broadcast Argentina's first match of the tournament, when the defending champion lost to Belgium.
"Unfortunately, it is a sad, sad part of our history (...) For everyone who was in that episode, I repeat, of our history. And it hurts. We knew we were also playing for them," said Argentine soccer player Leandro Paredes in Atlanta regarding the banner.
Política en el fútbol
Kyle told the BBC that "politics must be separated from soccer."
"In fact, the World Cup has as one of its central principles that politics is separated from soccer," he said. "That is now a matter for FIFA."
FIFA's statutory political neutrality has been questioned in this World Cup after its president, Gianni Infantino, and the disciplinary process—which could now involve Argentina—seemed to yield to pressure from US President Donald Trump by allowing American forward Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium in the Round of 16.
Balogun received a red card in the previous round and, according to the rules, was supposed to be suspended for his team's next match. FIFA postponed that suspension for one year, sparking an unprecedented controversy in modern World Cup history. Belgium eliminated the United States after routing them 4-1.
Initially, it was said that Infantino would be accompanied by Trump and Milei himself during Sunday's final between Argentina and Spain. But in the interview, the Argentine president asserted that "in no way will I travel to the United States."
"I will continue watching from (the presidential residence of) Olivos like on the first day."
Casos anteriores
Argentina's players displayed the same "The Falklands are Argentine" slogan in a warm-up match held in June 2014 in Buenos Aires, days before the start of the Brazil World Cup.
The FIFA disciplinary panel's ruling in that case was published after the conclusion of that World Cup and fined the Argentine federation 30,000 Swiss francs ($37,000).
In the case of the 2012 London Olympics, the FIFA ruling stated that the South Korean player's conduct "cannot be tolerated."
At the 2022 World Cup, FIFA fined the Serbian federation 20,000 Swiss francs ($24,800) for hanging a political banner about the neighboring independent state of Kosovo in the dressing room before playing against Brazil.
It showed a map of Serbia that included the territory of Kosovo, which has been independent since 2008, and the slogan "No surrender."
[Publicidad]