Argentina Players Display Falklands Banner After World Cup Match

Argentina's players unfurled a banner reading 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' after a 2-1 victory over England in a World Cup match. The banner was created by an unnamed 33-year-old fan from Buenos Aires who brought it into the stadium on a bedsheet. British politicians and media outlets reacted to the display and filed a complaint with FIFA, citing rules against political statements at matches.

Business secretary Peter Kyle described the action as "completely inappropriate" and said FIFA should conduct a thorough investigation.

Background on the islands dispute Argentina maintains that the Falkland Islands are inherited Spanish territory occupied unlawfully by Britain in 1833. The UK states it arrived earlier and points to a 2013 referendum in which islanders voted to remain British.

Argentina's 1982 military invasion of the islands led to a ten-week conflict that ended with a British victory. The territorial disagreement has continued since that time.

Views within Argentina Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported that the claim to the islands is passed down through generations and forms part of national identity. Three historians writing in the same paper last year described the issue as a choice rather than destiny and suggested Argentines could distance themselves from it.

Player Leandro Paredes and other team members reflected the same position in post-match comments. The article noted that some Argentines view the islands issue, along with football, as one of the few topics that unites the country.