LIBDEM leader Ed Davey has called for Argentina players to be banned from the World Cup final for holding up a banner about the Falklands Islands following victory over England.
Argentina are set to face disciplinary action after their players held up a banner which read "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (which translates to "The Falkland Islands are Argentinian") after the 2-1 victory in Atlanta.
Tensions over the issue are rising, and Davey has said that the Argentina players seen holding the banner should be suspended for Sunday’s final against Spain, referencing how Spanish players Rodri and Alvaro Morata were banned in 2024 for singing "Gibraltar is Spain".
He posted on Twitter: "In August 2024 Rodri and Álvaro Morata were rightly banned for one match for singing 'Gibraltar is Spain'.
"Now the Argentine players who celebrated with the 'Falklands are Argentine' banner must be barred from the final."
Keir Starmer has also hit back at Argentina. A spokesman for the Prime Minister told GB News: "The World Cup might not be ours but the Falkland Islands are."
Senior UK Government minister Peter Kyle has said it was "entirely inappropriate" for Argentinian players to hold the banner.
Former England international Peter Reid described the Argentina banner display as “beyond the pale”.
Article 34.3 of the tournament’s rules prohibits the display of any political messages or slogans by players before, during, or after a match.
The Falkland Islands are a UK overseas territory, with islanders voting to remain so in 2013.
In April 1982, Argentinian forces invaded the islands but were forced to surrender by June of the same year.
Argentina were fined by Fifa after holding up a banner with the same slogan after a friendly against Slovenia in 2014, while the Football Association was told by Fifa at the 2022 World Cup that England captain Harry Kane would face sporting sanctions starting with a yellow card if he wore a rainbow-coloured "OneLove" armband at the finals in Qatar, a country which criminalises homosexuality.
Argentina players – including Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez – have never faced any sanction from South American confederation CONMEBOL after they sang a derogatory song about France’s black players following their Copa America success in 2024.
Coach Lionel Scaloni spoke before Wednesday’s match against England about how he wanted to avoid mixing politics with football, but his cause was not helped when the country’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel described England as “invaders” and “usurping pirates” in a Twitter/X post prior to the match.
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