Gary Lineker calls Falklands by Argentinian name in controversial comments
The 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner acknowledged the islands as Las Malvinas
Gary Lineker has controversially called the Falkland Islands by their Argentinian name in his World Cup show.
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The 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner acknowledged the islands as Las Malvinas in the latest episode of The Rest is Football filmed in New York.
Lineker was a Three Lions starter when Argentina knocked England out of the Mexico World Cup, just four years after the South American nation saw 649 military personnel killed during their invasion of the British islands.
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The veteran sports broadcaster said: “England could face Argentina in a semi-final, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a fraction, but so much history between our nations isn’t there? It’s not that long ago our two countries were at war, with the Falklands or Malvinas, even before that?”
The reference came after the current Argentina squad were filmed singing a chant claiming the Falkland Islands as their own after their controversial World Cup 3-2 comeback win against Egypt.
Lineker was supposed to be anchoring the BBC's coverage of the tournament in his final act with the broadcaster, but his tenure was brought to an end amid political controversies.
He has since appeared on rivals ITV live from New York, having criticised the BBC for leading coverage from Salford.