Argentina face fine for Falklands banner in semi-final win

Argentina's national football team is facing a potential fine after a banner referencing the Falklands conflict was displayed during Tuesday's semi-final match against England. Vice-President Victoria Villarruel posted on X following the win, sharing a video of what appeared to be Argentine soldiers and writing: "It wasn't just another match." She added: "The Falklands are Argentine. They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts."

Before the game, Villarruel had stated that the semi-final was "about putting the invaders in their place." Argentina players also sang chants mentioning the Falklands and Argentine legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi after their dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt in the round of 16.

However, ahead of the semi-final, manager Lionel Scaloni had emphasized he was "not going to mix" football and politics. "The reality is that this is a football match. I can't mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago," Scaloni said. "It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn't much we can do about it. Things are happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticise the existence of war. We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match - we shouldn't confuse the two."

The semi-final, which England lost to late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, was held under increased security measures due to historical tensions between the two nations.