UK calls for FIFA inquiry into ‘Falklands are Argentine’ banner

A top U.K. minister is calling on FIFA to investigate the “entirely inappropriate” banner unfurled by some of Argentina’s players after their World Cup victory against England.

Peter Kyle, the business secretary, told Times Radio on Thursday that he hopes world football’s governing body will “do a proper inquiry” into the incident involving the sign, which read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — which translates to “The Falkland Islands are Argentine.”

London and Buenos Aires went to war over the islands in 1982. Located approximately 500 kilometers off Argentina’s coast, the remote archipelago remains a U.K. territory, though Argentina claims it as its own.

The World Cup semifinal against England was seen as a chance for many Argentinians to score a point in the long-running dispute between the two countries. In the run up to Wednesday’s match Vice-President Victoria Villarruel described England as “invaders.”

FIFA has strict rules banning political gestures at matches, including displaying “banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature” inside stadiums.

Players for top U.K. clubs were amongst those holding the banner, including Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, and Tottenham’s Cristian Romero.

Kyle praised the “dignity” of England’s players, saying that their behavior was “the perfect contrast” to that displayed by the Argentinian team.