Britain calls for investigation of Argentina players over Falkland Islands banner
The British government on Thursday (July 16th) called on the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) to open an investigation into the Argentine national team players, after they appeared in photos holding a political banner demanding Argentina's sovereignty over the disputed Falkland Islands between the two countries.
The incident came after Argentina beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final match held on Wednesday in the American city of Atlanta.
During the post-match celebrations, a number of Argentina players held up a banner they received from fans in the stands, which read: "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" in Spanish, which means "The Malvinas Argentine Islands."
British Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the players' behaviour was "totally inappropriate".
Kyle told the BBC: "Politics should be separate from football, in fact, the World Cup is one of its core principles that politics should remain separate from football.
"This matter is now the prerogative of FIFA, and I expect FIFA to do it comprehensively.
Disciplinary sanctions and fines against Argentina
Players from the Argentine national team or their country's football federation may face disciplinary action, as FIFA regulations prohibit the use of matches and stadiums to display political, ideological or religious messages that are inappropriate for the nature of sporting events.
The fines that FIFA may impose for incidents related to political messages inside stadiums range from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on the nature of the violation and the circumstances surrounding it.
A press report said that the Argentina national team is threatened with disciplinary sanctions, noting that the celebrations of the "Albiceleste" quickly turned into a controversial crisis. A number of players held up a banner that read "Argentine Falkland Islands", referring to the dispute between the two countries over the Falkland Islands.
Foot Mercato said: "This initiative could have sporting consequences. FIFA regulations prohibit the display of political, religious or personal messages during matches and official celebrations."
He continued: "Article 4 stipulates that any player or team can be punished for displaying such a message on a shirt, clothes or anything else."
What is wrong with the Falkland Islands?
The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the "Malvinas Islands", represent one of the most sensitive files in the history of the dispute between Buenos Aires and London, as it is currently under British sovereignty while Argentina is holding on to its historic claim to reclaim it, which has had an impact on the political relations between the two countries and even on their sporting confrontations.
The South Atlantic islands witnessed a brief 1982 war between Britain and Argentina that lasted about 10 weeks, which ended with the victory of British forces and the territory remaining under London's control.
The Falkland is a British overseas territory of about 3,500 people, located about 13,000 kilometers from the United Kingdom, compared to just about 480 kilometers from the Argentine coast.
Argentina says the islands were taken away illegally in 1833, while Britain maintains its claim dates back to 1765 and that it sent a warship in 1833 to drive out Argentine troops who tried to assert sovereignty over the area. The war broke out in April 1982 when Argentine forces invaded the islands they consider part of their territory, before ending with the surrender of Buenos Aires and continued British control.
The islands, located about 480 kilometers east of South America's southern tip, have been the subject of interest for years because of their strategic location for ship traffic as well as what is believed to be potential natural resources.