Follow Okaz channel on WhatsApp

The celebration of the Argentine national team players by raising a banner that read 'Malvinas Islands are Argentine' after defeating England in the 2026 World Cup semi-final has brought back to the forefront one of the most controversial incidents in Argentine football history, after it became clear that this is not the first time the slogan has been raised at a major football event.

Hours after the celebration photos spread, followers and media recalled a similar incident dating back to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when Argentine players raised a banner carrying the same message during a training session, which prompted the International Football Federation (FIFA) at the time to take disciplinary action against the Argentine Football Association.

In that incident, FIFA considered that using a message of a political or regional nature during the tournament's events violated the regulations that prohibit exploiting sporting competitions to express political positions, and imposed a penalty on the Argentine Football Association, stressing the need to adhere to the principle of separating sports from political issues.

The new incident comes in the context of a match that carried special historical sensitivity, as it brought together Argentina and England, the state with which Buenos Aires has a long-standing sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, which gave the celebration dimensions beyond the sporting achievement and revived the debate about the compatibility of such messages with the regulations of the International Football Federation.

The islands are known as the Malvinas Islands in Argentina, while internationally they are known as the Falkland Islands, an archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean under the administration of the United Kingdom, while Argentina insists they are part of its territory and demands the restoration of sovereignty over them.

The dispute dates back to the 19th century, but reached its peak in 1982 when a war broke out lasting about ten weeks between Argentina and Britain, ending with British forces regaining control of the islands, with the political and diplomatic conflict remaining to this day.

The International Football Federation (FIFA) and many international sports federations prohibit the use of official tournaments and matches to promote messages or slogans of a political, religious, or ideological nature, based on the principle of sports neutrality, which has on various occasions led to sanctions against federations or teams due to banners or messages deemed in violation of the competition regulations.