FIFA is reviewing official match reports before deciding whether to open disciplinary proceedings against Argentina following their display of a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”) after Wednesday’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final victory over England.
The governing body confirmed on Thursday that its independent disciplinary committee is examining the incident after calls from British officials for possible sanctions.
“As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the Fifa disciplinary code,” it said.
The issue drew criticism from the UK government, with Business Minister Peter Kyle describing the banner as a breach of FIFA’s rules prohibiting political messages on the field of play. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office also supported calls for FIFA to investigate.
“The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“Politics needs to be separate from football. In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football,” Kyle told BBC television.
Argentina’s football association was previously fined £20,000 by FIFA in 2014 after players posed with a similar banner before a friendly against Slovenia, with the action ruled a violation of regulations on political expression and team misconduct.
The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, remain the subject of a long-running sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina, which fought a war over the territory in 1982.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei defended the players’ actions.
“It’s a feeling that exists within all Argentines,” he told El Observador radio station.
