Argentina players display controversial Falklands banner after victory against England.
In Atlanta: In a clear violation of FIFA rules, Argentine players unfurled a political banner reading “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Falkland Islands are Argentines”) after defeating England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final.
FIFA’s Stadium Code of Conduct prohibits “banners, flags, flyers, clothing and other paraphernalia of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature” inside stadiums.
World football’s governing body did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The issue of sovereignty over the islands in the South Atlantic, called the Falkland Islands by the British and the Malvinas by the Argentines, has been a long-standing sore point in relations between the countries.
In 1982, they had a brief conflict over the islands in which 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British fighters died.
In the end, Britain won, and the vast majority of those living on the islands said they wanted to remain part of Britain.
But Argentina has long claimed that it inherited the islands from Spain after its independence in 1816, and that Britain seized control in an illegal colonial act in 1833.
Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso held up the banner, grinned and waved to the fans in the stands. It was not clear where the banner came from.
This is not the first time the issue of political banners has come up during the World Cup. In Los Angeles last month, Iranian Americans waved pre-revolutionary flags, a symbol of protest against the Tehran government when Iran played. These matches proceeded without incident.
Reuters
