FIFA World Cup™
Argentina players hold up Falkland Islands banner after World Cup semi-final
Argentina players celebrated their World Cup semi-final victory over England by holding a banner about the Falkland Islands on the pitch in Atlanta.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni had said before the game he did not want the fixture to become about the conflict over the British overseas territory.
But after his side came from 1-0 down with five minutes left to win 2-1 to reach a second successive World Cup final, players held up a banner that read ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’ which translates to ‘The Falkland Islands are Argentinian’.
Political tensions linger between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands, which boiled over into conflict in 1982.
Argentina has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which are about 8,000 miles from Britain and 300 miles from mainland Argentina.
Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarruel had described England as “invaders” and “usurping pirates” in the build-up to the fixture, and tweeted a victory message at full-time by saying, “it wasn’t just another match” alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers.
