Argentina could face action over Falklands banner after beating England at World Cup
Argentina face the prospect of disciplinary action from Fifa after their players celebrated the World Cup semi-final win against England with a banner in support
Argentina face the prospect of disciplinary action from Fifa 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.
After the final whistle, Argentina players celebrated while holding a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas", which translates as "The Falklands are Argentine". The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina. The two nations went to war over the group of islands, situated 300 miles off Argentina's east coast, from April to June 1982.
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 had breached rules on political action and team misconduct.
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