Controversy over the Falklands after the England-Argentina World Cup match: Players unfurled a protest banner, and the Milei administration lodged a protest with the United Kingdom over the movement of a ship near the islands
Led by Lo Celso, the Albiceleste players displayed a sign reading "the Falklands are Argentine" after the final whistle of the semifinals.
Argentine players hold a banner reading "The Falklands are Argentine"
The Falkland Islands, the small archipelago that has been at the center of a dispute between England and Argentina since the last century, took center stage following the Albiceleste's nail-biting qualification for the 2026 World Cup final. At the end of the match, the players unfurled a banner reading "The Falklands are Argentine." Shortly afterward, the Milei administration announced that it had filed a formal complaint with the British government regarding the movements of a ship near the islands.
After the referee's final whistle, Giovani Lo Celso took the banner and, alongside defender Lisandro Martínez, celebrated with it alongside the rest of his teammates. The Falklands "will always be Argentine," midfielder Leandro Paredes said later in an interview with Telefe when asked about the celebration.
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"Usurping pirates"
"I'm going to keep my true thoughts to myself" about how it feels to beat England, he said. "But it's an incredible feeling because of everything it means. We know that for our country, this is something unique, and hopefully people are very happy."
On the political front, Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel said before the match, in remarks reported by Europa Press, that "playing against the English is always something special" and labeled them "usurping pirates."
Argentina files a formal protest over the movement of a British ship
The Foreign Ministry expressed "the strongest possible rejection" of the movements of the HMS Medway, based in the Falkland Islands, which involved transit through Argentine territorial waters without proper notification, according to a statement shared on X and reposted by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno.
The ship's movements were "unilateral and illegal" and violate existing bilateral agreements, according to the South American country, which submitted a note of protest to the United Kingdom's embassy in Buenos Aires on July 13.
Quirno stated when reposting the statement: "In diplomacy, we don't shout about our work the way we do when we score a goal, but we are driven by the same conviction: the pride of being Argentine and the constant defense of our interests."
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