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UK politicians demand FIFA probe into dominant Argentina squad over ‘Malvinas’ banner
AP ^ | July 16, 2026

Posted on 07/16/2026 10:29:10 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican

The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands.

Argentina beat England 2-1 in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta.

During post-match celebrations, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans in the stands, reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine.”

Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina’s then-military dictatorship, triggering a 10-week war won by Britain.

U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the players’ behavior was “entirely inappropriate. I expect FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly."

FIFA can prosecute Argentina’s players and soccer federation because its disciplinary code prohibits at stadiums any “message that is not appropriate for a sports event,” including those of “a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.”

The FIFA fines for political messaging are $5,000 to $20,000.

A FIFA disciplinary case under previous leadership banned a South Korean player for two 2014 World Cup qualifying games because he held up a similar banner about a territorial claim against Japan at the 2012 London Olympics. Park Jong-woo took a fan banner with the slogan “Dokdo is our territory” after South Korea beat Japan in the men’s bronze medal game.

On Wednesday, Argentina player Lisandro Martínez was asked if the banner could have stirred deep emotions and tears for a veteran of the Malvinas conflict.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: argentina; falklands; fifa; labour; malvinas; peterkyle; soccer; unitedkingdom; worldcup
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To: MinorityRepublican

Yet, they sanctioned Pride Match on June 26.


21 posted on 07/16/2026 3:07:39 PM PDT by paudio (Charlie Kirk is this era's MLK)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Perhaps - but they are still lying.


22 posted on 07/16/2026 3:25:37 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: All

New - More Republicans want Argentina to win the World Cup, while more Democrats are rooting for Spain. pic.twitter.com/9DfNEeIehO— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) July 16, 2026


23 posted on 07/16/2026 3:40:12 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: Da Coyote

Don’t be so bloody daft.

There are three cities in the UK with islamofascist problems. The other 90% of the UK isn’t seeing it at all.

The issue with the Falklands is Argentina has never had a legitimate claim. They relied on English, Dutch and American privateers to ferry their settlers to the archepelago AND needed English/Spanish permission to even do that AND were goverened with Spanish-British bodies while doing so.

A brief period where British authorities were absent, the Argentine settlements failed, and even the USA supported their expulsion, does not create a legitimate claim.

Besides, over the last forty years over half of the Falklands has gone up for sale and if Argentina really wanted the land it could’ve just paid. One of the islands has two runways and they could’ve bought it in auction for under $5m.


24 posted on 07/17/2026 12:13:39 AM PDT by MalPearce ("You see, but you do not observe" - Holmes to Watson, A Scandal in Bohemia)
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To: Da Coyote

Don’t be so bloody daft.

There are three cities in the UK with islamofascist problems. The other 90% of the UK isn’t seeing it at all.

The issue with the Falklands is Argentina has never had a legitimate claim. They relied on English, Dutch and American privateers to ferry their settlers to the archepelago AND needed English/Spanish permission to even do that AND were goverened with Spanish-British bodies while doing so.

A brief period where British authorities were absent, the Argentine settlements failed, and even the USA supported their expulsion, does not create a legitimate claim.

Besides, over the last forty years over half of the Falklands has gone up for sale and if Argentina really wanted the land it could’ve just paid. One of the islands has two runways and they could’ve bought it in auction for under $5m.


25 posted on 07/17/2026 12:13:43 AM PDT by MalPearce ("You see, but you do not observe" - Holmes to Watson, A Scandal in Bohemia)
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To: MalPearce

26 posted on 07/17/2026 12:50:06 AM PDT by dennisw (There is no limit to human stupidity. |||||||||||||||||||||||||)
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To: dennisw

Imgur blocks all images to the UK, fortunately VPN can get round that.

2018: Pebble Island ( 23,000-acre) went up for sale. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-46540282

“At 20 miles long and about four miles wide, Pebble Island is the third largest offshore island in the Falklands, complete with a mini mountain range, lakes, miles of coastline and cliffs, and a pebble beach after which it was named.

“On top of that, it is a draw to those interested in military history, as the site of the first land-based action of the 1982 Falklands War, when the SAS landed by boat at night to disable the 11 Argentine aircraft on its runway.”

(It has a beach runway as well.)

Argentina could’ve literally bought that island or any of the others that have come up for sale, on the open market.

Falkland Islands residential real estate prices are quite modest: from £114,000 to £430,000 with only the very largest and most desirable properties topping that. So if rich Argentine footballers really wanted to skew the referendum, they could just buy land and build, or buy existing houses ten at a time.

So basically, Argentina’s bogus claim all boils down to

1. Centuries ago, a Papal Bull notionally gave Spain rights over the islands,
and Argentina ironically relies on this... so, a Vatican+Spain imperial claim at the same time as protesting British imperialism.

(It’s somewhat undermined by Spain’s own position, and the position of Chile who never asserted a claim before selling part of the Patagonian coast to Argentina. Without that transfer, Chile would’ve had a far stronger argument than Argentina.)

2. With the help of pirates AND with British permission, they founded a settlement that failed. Meanwhile, the British settlements succeeded.


27 posted on 07/18/2026 2:57:54 AM PDT by MalPearce ("You see, but you do not observe" - Holmes to Watson, A Scandal in Bohemia)
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