Falkland poster row spreads: British government seeks FIFA action against Argentina | Football News
The British government has urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s football team after its players displayed a flag claiming sovereignty over the Falkland Islands during celebrations following their World Cup semifinal win over England.Argentina beat England 2-1 in FIFA World Cup semifinal last Wednesday in Atlanta. During the post-match celebrations, Argentina’s players appeared with a banner handed to them by supporters in the stands that read, “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Malvinas are Argentina”). Argentina calls the Falkland Islands Islas Malvinas.The team could face disciplinary action from FIFA under rules that prohibit political messaging on the field.UK business secretary Peter Kyle criticized the players’ actions, saying they crossed the line between sport and politics.“Politics has to be separated from football,” Kyle told the BBC. “In fact, the World Cup has one of its central principles that politics is different from football.“This is now a matter for FIFA. I hope that FIFA will do its investigation thoroughly.”The rivalry between England and Argentina goes beyond football because of the long-standing dispute over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory with a population of around 3,500 people. The islands are located about 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) from the United Kingdom and about 300 miles (480 kilometers) from Argentina.Argentina maintains that the islands were taken from it illegally in 1833. Britain says its claim dates back to 1765 and that it sent a warship to the islands in 1833 to remove Argentine forces attempting to establish sovereignty over the territory.The dispute led to the 1982 Falklands War after Argentina invaded the islands. The conflict lasted 10 weeks and ended with British control. A total of 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service personnel and three islanders died.
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