FIFA is assessing reports from the World Cup semi-final against England before deciding whether to take disciplinary action over Argentina’s Falklands banner, which was displayed after the defending champions secured their place in the final.
The banner, which read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”), was held aloft by Argentina’s players after their dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in Atlanta. The win booked Lionel Messi’s side a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.
In a statement, FIFA confirmed that its independent disciplinary committee was reviewing the incident.
“As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA disciplinary code,” a FIFA spokesperson said.
Previous disciplinary action
FIFA has previously sanctioned Argentina over similar political messaging, and Argentina’s Falklands banner has once again placed the world champions under disciplinary scrutiny.
In 2014, the Argentine Football Association was fined £20,000 after players displayed a banner carrying the same message before an international friendly against Slovenia. At the time, FIFA ruled that the action breached its regulations on political messaging and team misconduct.
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Although disciplinary proceedings are under consideration, there is no suggestion that Argentina could lose its place in Sunday’s World Cup final.
UK government calls for investigation
The incident involving Argentina’s Falklands banner drew criticism from the British government, which backed calls for FIFA to investigate.
A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister said, “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.”
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle also urged FIFA to examine the matter.
“It’s essential that politics is kept out of the World Cup,” Kyle said, adding that he hoped FIFA would conduct “a proper investigation.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch also supported calls for FIFA to review the incident.
Argentina defends players
Argentina President Javier Milei described the players’ actions as “understandable” and “valid”, according to local media.
However, he stressed that football should remain separate from diplomacy.
“Indeed, the Malvinas are Argentine, we are going to recover them, and we’re going to do it in the diplomatic field, by acting intelligently,” he said in an interview with Radio El Observador.
Falkland Islands government reacts
The Government of the Falkland Islands said it was disappointed by the display and urged FIFA to enforce its regulations.
In a statement, it said it hoped FIFA would “sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules” and added that it did not wish to see “politics being brought into sport.”
Long-running sovereignty dispute
The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas, are a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean and have long been at the centre of a sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina.
The dispute escalated into war in 1982 after Argentina invaded the islands. The 74-day conflict claimed the lives of 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British service members and three Falkland Islanders.
In a 2013 referendum, more than 99% of voters in the Falkland Islands chose to remain a British Overseas Territory.
Possible sanctions
Political messages are prohibited under FIFA’s disciplinary regulations, and previous cases have resulted in sanctions.
One notable precedent came after the 2012 Olympic Games, when South Korea midfielder Park Jong-woo displayed a banner asserting South Korean sovereignty over the disputed Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks) islands. FIFA later suspended him for two international matches.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called for the Argentina players involved in displaying the Falklands banner to be suspended for Sunday’s World Cup final, citing UEFA’s one-match ban handed to Spain captain Álvaro Morata and midfielder Rodri in 2024 after they chanted “Gibraltar is Spanish” during Spain’s European Championship celebrations.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee is expected to determine whether Argentina’s Falklands banner breached the organisation’s disciplinary rules after completing its review of the official match reports.
