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Rabat – The British government has called on FIFA to investigate Argentina after members of the national team displayed a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentina – The Falklands are Argentinian” following their 2-1 victory over England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal.
The banner, held aloft during the post-match celebrations in Atlanta, reignited the long-running sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle described the display as an “egregious violation” of FIFA regulations, arguing that the governing body’s rules prohibit political messages on the field of play.
“Politics needs to be separate from football. In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football,” Kyle told the BBC. He added that the UK expects FIFA to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office backed the call, with a Downing Street spokesperson saying, “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.”
FIFA has yet to issue an official response or indicate whether it will open disciplinary proceedings.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of the decades-long territorial dispute over the South Atlantic archipelago where Britain has administered the Falkland Islands since the 19th century, while Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the territory.
Tensions escalated further before the semifinal when Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel referred to the English as “usurping pirates” in remarks supporting Argentina’s claim over the islands.
The dispute stems from the 1982 Falklands War, which began when Argentina invaded the British overseas territory.Â
The United Kingdom subsequently retook the islands following a 74-day conflict that claimed the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British military personnel. Since then, the sovereignty issue has remained a sensitive point in relations between the two countries.
