Argentina players raised a political banner that read 'Falkland Islands are Argentine' after their 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, in clear violation of FIFA rules.

Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso raised the banner, smiling, and waved to the fans in the stands.

FIFA's code of conduct for stadiums prohibits 'banners, flags, publications, clothing and other items of a political, offensive or discriminatory nature' inside stadiums.

The issue of sovereignty over the islands in the South Atlantic, known as the Falkland Islands by the British and the Malvinas Islands by the Argentines, is a long-standing point of contention in relations between the two countries.

Related news

The two countries fought a brief war over the islands in 1982, in which 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British fighters were killed.

Britain ultimately prevailed, and the vast majority of islanders expressed their desire to remain part of the United Kingdom.

But Argentina has long claimed that it inherited the islands from Spain after its independence in 1816, and that Britain occupied them in 1833 through an illegal colonial act.