UK government calls for FIFA investigation over Malvinas flag at World Cup

Members of the United Kingdom government called on Thursday for an investigation by world football’s governing body, FIFA, into the “Las Malvinas son argentinas” (the Malvinas are Argentine) flag that a few Argentina players picked up and displayed after they beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal. The UK’s Business Secretary Peter Kyle called the display of the flag “an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football” while talking to the BBC, adding that he expects “FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly.” He was backed by the UK’s outgoing Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who told The Guardian that “the World Cup might not be [England’s], but the Falkland Islands definitely are.” Starmer defined the case as “potential action is a matter for FIFA,” insisting that “politics should stay out of football.” The display of the flag sparked controversy in the UK. English newspaper The Sun — which produced the infamous “Gotcha” headline after the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano outside the exclusion zone — titled it “Argie arrogance” and called the flag a “disgusting banner.” Flying a banned flag Since the 1982 Malvinas War, games between Argentina and England have been among the most historically charged duels in football, particularly at a World Cup. The players confirmed after the game that they didn’t produce the flag, but that someone in the stands threw it onto the pitch. Later, versions of the flag painted on a hotel sheet by a fan and smuggled onto the pitch went viral. Flags such as the one picked up by the players were confirmed as banned by Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva ahead of the game, as are all signs or flags with “any kind of provocative message, whether political, racial, or otherwise.” In the build-up to the game, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni and some of the Albiceleste players aimed to lower tensions, saying the face-off was “just a football match.” They later admitted, however, it could never be just another game. “Obviously, it’s something that happened many, many years ago; we’re trying to put it behind us,” told the press Lautaro Martínez, who scored the winning goal. “But for us it wasn’t just another game — it was a special game, and we tried to play it that way.” Argentina facing potential punishment Despite the flag not being produced by the players, Argentina faces sanctions for displaying the message. The slogan regarding the islands was listed by FIFA in its list of political symbols ahead of the match between the two countries, due to the historic rivalry between their national teams. U.S. authorities had classified the match as a high-risk game, with a major security operation involving more than 1,600 personnel in and around Mercedes-Benz Stadium. According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that governs the rules of football, “players must not display undergarments bearing political, religious, or personal slogans, statements, or images, […].” The rule also states that any violation will result in “the player and/or the team” being “sanctioned by the competition organizer, the national football federation, or FIFA.” FIFA could also sanction Argentina for violating the FIFA Stadium Code of Conduct, which prohibits players from displaying “banners, flags, leaflets, clothing, and other paraphernalia that is political, offensive, or discriminatory in nature.” While the rulebooks don’t specify potential punishments, fines have generally been imposed on offenders. On Thursday, Argentine President Javier Milei said during a radio interview that “in the worst-case scenario, Argentina will face a financial penalty of US$30,000.” In 2014, FIFA fined the Argentine Football Association (AFA) US$33,000 after its players displayed a banner with a message about Malvinas before a friendly match against Slovenia. At the 2018 World Cup, Swiss players Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri — both of Albanian origin —  had to pay a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (about US$12,356) after celebrating goals against Serbia by making a gesture of a “double-headed eagle”, which symbolizes the Albanian flag. Editorial disclaimer: Although the UK refers to the territory as the “Falkland Islands”, Argentina strongly contests this name. The Buenos Aires Herald uses “Malvinas” to refer to the islands.