Argentina face fine and calls for players to be 'punished' after holding up ‘the Falklands are ours’ banner after beating England
Argentina is facing a fine after their players held up a banner claiming ownership of the Falkland Islands after knocking England out of the World Cup.
Listen to this article
After the final whistle Argentina’s players held up a banner which read: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” or “The Falklands are Argentine.”
Argentina beat England 2-1 after a late comeback with goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez.
Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez were among those holding the sign.
In 2014, Fifa slapped Argentina with a £20,000 fine for holding up a similar banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.
Senior minister Peter Kyle told LBC this morning that FIFA must take disciplinary action against Argentina for holding up the provocative banner.
He said it was “entirely inappropriate” to wave the banner, praising England for acting with dignity in “real contrast with what we saw with the Argentina team”.
Tory shadow minister Andrew Griffith said: "Labour’s Chagos surrender has made us look weak, and British territory up for grabs. The Falklands are British. Whoever won the football.
"This idiotic display from the Argies was clearly against FIFA rules. They should be punished."
Speaking about posing with the banner, Argentinian midfielder Leandro Paredes said: "It's a sad part of our history.
"For everyone involved in that chapter of, I repeat, our history, it hurts.
"We knew we were playing for them too, for all the people, for our entire nation. I believe we did it in the best possible way."
In total, 255 British servicemen were among the 907 people who died in the 1982 Falklands War, which saw UK armed forces retake the islands after an Argentine invasion.
Britain first landed on the uninhabited islands in 1690 and claimed them for the Crown in 1765.
It has maintained a permanent presence there since 1833 - 47 years before Argentina became a fully unified state following its declaration of independence from Spain in 1816.
Buenos Aires has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the islands, which are about 8,000 miles from Britain and 300 miles from mainland Argentina.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni had said before the game he did not want the fixture to become about the conflict over the territory.
But the country’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel tweeted a victory message at full-time saying “it wasn’t just another match” alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers.
In the build-up to the fixture, she had described England as “invaders” and “usurping pirates”.
England and Argentina fans could also be seen fighting outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium following the final whistle.
Police made multiple arrests as they stepped in, in an attempt to calm the situation.
Read more: Heartbroken England fans drown their sorrows in pubs after Three Lions World Cup heartbreak
Las Malvinas is Argentina’s name for the Falklands, which in 2013 held a referendum where islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a UK overseas territory.
Atlanta had deployed additional personnel for Wednesday’s semi-final in an effort to ensure safety and security.
Britain fought a bitter war to defend the Falklands Islands in 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the territory.
The Falkland Islands are some 300 miles east of Argentina and are an archipelago formed of two main islands, the eastern side being the location of the capital city and only major settlement of Stanley.
Before the match, Argentina's vice-president Victoria Villarruel stirred up tensions by describing England as "usurping pirates".
She wrote: "Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates.
"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!"
The banner was also passed around the team's jubilant crowd of supporters after the game.
It was unclear where the banner was produced from.
It follows similar celebrations after Argentina beat Switzerland where some players could be heard chanting: "For the Malvinas, for Diego [Maradona].."