Argentina face fine for Falklands banner in semi-final win
Argentina face the prospect of a Fifa fine after their players celebrated the World Cup semi-final win against England with a banner in support of
Argentina face the prospect of a Fifa fine after their players celebrated the World Cup semi-final win against England with a banner in support of their country's claims to the Falkland Islands. The defending world champions produced a dramatic late comeback in Atlanta, scoring twice to defeat Thomas Tuchel's side 2-1 and book a showdown with Spain in Sunday's final.
After the final whistle, their players were seen celebrating while holding a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas", which translates as "The Falklands are Argentine". The UK and Argentina went to war over the Falklands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean that has been a British Overseas Territory since 1833, from April to June 1982.
Argentina believes the group of islands, situated 300 miles off its east coast, should have sovereignty. The 74-day conflict led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen. Three people from the islands also died. In 2014, Fifa fined the Argentine Football Association £20,000 after its players held up a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.
World football's governing body said the gesture breached rules on political action and team misconduct.
The BriefWire