Argentina Wave Falklands Banner After England Win

After their 2-1 semi-final victory over England, several Argentina players held up a banner reading "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine") on the pitch, according to both The Guardian and Reuters. The display carried clear political resonance given the 1982 conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the islands.

The gesture appears to sit in direct conflict with FIFA's own Stadium Code of Conduct, which explicitly bans banners or items of a political, offensive or discriminatory nature inside stadiums. FIFA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from either outlet.

According to The Guardian, Argentina's security minister had stated ahead of the match that 1,600 officers would be on duty and that any provocative political or racial messaging would be prohibited on entry. The banner nonetheless appeared after the final whistle.

The incident adds a charged political dimension to what was already one of football's most historically loaded fixtures, and with the final still to come, pressure will be on FIFA to clarify its position.