The British government increased pressure on FIFA on Thursday by demanding a formal investigation against the Argentine team for displaying a banner with the message "The Falklands are Argentine" after their 2-1 victory over England in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup.
The UK's Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, urged the world football governing body to open a "thorough" investigation, arguing that the gesture undermines the principle of keeping politics separate from sport, reported the agency AFP.
"The politics must be separate from football. In fact, one of the fundamental principles of the World Cup is that politics should be separate from football," Kyle stated to the BBC.
The minister added that it is now up to FIFA to determine whether there was a violation. "We hope that they will conduct an investigation into this matter," he stated.
The minister's stance was immediately supported by the Government of Keir Starmer.
A spokesperson for Downing Street responded to the incident with a clear message about the sovereignty of the archipelago. "The World Cup may not be ours, but the islands definitely are."
The spokesperson also reiterated that the British position "has not changed" and defended that the future of the islands should be decided by their inhabitants.
The banner that sparked the controversy
The controversy began at the end of the match played on Wednesday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
During the celebrations, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso displayed a banner on the field reading "The Falklands are Argentine", accompanied by defenders Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero, who also held it up in front of thousands of spectators.
The episode gained greater significance because FIFA had previously banned the entry of flags and other items with political messages related to the Falklands, a restriction that had even been confirmed prior to the match by the Argentine Minister of Security, Alejandra Monteoliva.
As of this Thursday, FIFA had not issued an official decision, although it is reviewing the footage and reports from the match to determine whether the players' behavior constitutes a political demonstration prohibited by its regulations.
It would not be an unprecedented case. In 2014, FIFA sanctioned the Argentine Football Association (AFA) with a fine of 30,000 Swiss francs after Argentine players displayed a banner with the same message before a friendly match against Slovenia.
Sports law specialists believe that, if a punishment were to be repeated, it is most likely that a new financial penalty would be imposed on the AFA, without any sporting consequences for the national team, which will compete in the World Cup final next Sunday against Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The Argentine claim over the Falkland Islands, a territory administered by the United Kingdom since the 19th century, remains one of the main points of friction between the two countries and took on historical significance during the war of 1982. The football rivalry between Argentines and English has been marked since then by this conflict, especially since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when Diego Maradona eliminated England with the memorable goals "The Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century".
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