Players were seen parading banners bearing political messaging
Argentina could face disciplinary action from Fifa after players displayed a banner referring to the Falkland Islands following their World Cup semi-final victory over England.
The incident took place after Argentina’s 2-1 comeback win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where Giovani Lo Celso celebrated with a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Malvinas are Argentine”). Defender Lisandro Martinez joined Lo Celso in holding the banner before it was briefly put away and then laid out on the pitch.
The phrase “Las Malvinas” is Argentina’s name for the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. Sovereignty over the islands has long been disputed. The conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 lasted from 2 April to 14 June and ended with Argentina’s surrender. Three civilians, 255 British personnel and 649 Argentine troops were killed during the war.
Fifa is expected to review the matter once it has received the official reports from the match. World football’s governing body has no fixed timetable for deciding whether disciplinary proceedings are necessary, but all sanctions from matters arising at the World Cup are expected to come after the tournament.
Football’s laws and tournament regulations prohibit political messages from being displayed by players. The International Football Association Board’s laws state:
“Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo.
“For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by Fifa.”
If Fifa concludes that the banner was political, it could also fall under the competition’s stadium code of conduct, which bans materials of “a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature”, including banners, flags and other items carrying political wording or symbols.
