Argentina Players Display Falklands Sovereignty Banner After World Cup Semi-Final Win Over England

After Argentina's 2-1 comeback victory over England in the 2026 World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on July 15, Lisandro Martínez and Giovani Lo Celso held a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" on the pitch. The slogan claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, the subject of a 1982 war that killed 649 Argentinians and 255 Britons. UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle called it "entirely inappropriate" and urged FIFA to investigate. FIFA's code bans political banners in stadiums. Martínez told The Guardian: "I can picture a Malvinas veteran seeing that and weeping."