Argentina Players' Falklands Banner After World Cup Win Draws UK Outrage, FIFA Scrutiny

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