Argentina players display Falklands banner after World Cup win over England
Argentina's football team celebrated their World Cup semi-final victory over England by unfurling a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas," referencing the 1982 Falklands War.
Argentina came from 1-0 down with five minutes left in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, scoring twice in quick succession to beat England 2-1 and reach a second consecutive final, where they will face Spain in New Jersey on Sunday.
After the match, players Lisandro Martínez and Giovani Lo Celso held up a banner saying "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Malvinas are Argentine), grinning and waving to fans. It was unclear where the banner came from. The slogan refers to the disputed territory known as the Falkland Islands in Britain and Islas Malvinas in Argentina, which led to a 74-day conflict 44 years ago. More than 900 people – 649 Argentinians and 255 Britons – lost their lives in that war.
This is not the first time political banners have appeared during the World Cup. Last month in Los Angeles, Iranian Americans waved pre-revolutionary flags, symbols of protest against the Tehran government, during Iran's matches without incident.
After beating Switzerland in the quarter-final to set up the England match, some Argentina players were heard chanting: "For the Malvinas, for Diego [Maradona] and for Leo [Messi]'s last one."
Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul said: "We understand it's a football game that transcends; it brings back memories of what Diego did. We sing songs about our Malvinas heroes, mainly to remember them, but we have to understand that it's a football match and that the Malvinas have to be discussed elsewhere. What happened was an atrocity and we always remember the fallen, but what we want is to win this match to get to the final."
FIFA's stadium code of conduct bans "banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature" inside stadiums. FIFA did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Argentina's security minister, Alejandra Monteoliva, said on Tuesday that enhanced security had been discussed at a meeting in the US on Monday. "There will be 1,600 officers. We want the celebration to be peaceful," she told local radio. "The entry of elements that have any type of provocative message, whether of political or racial content, is prohibited."
