Man Utd star holds ‘Falklands belong to us’ banner with Argentina team after England exit
One image showed Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez among others holding the provocative banner aloft after Argentina dumped England out of the World Cup
Argentina’s players hold a banner reading “The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina,” after win(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Argentina celebrated dumping England out of the World Cup in a provocative way, with players taking a banner from supporters in the crowd that read: “The Falkland Islands are Argentinian.”
Manchester United’s Lisandro Martínez was seen holding the banner, as well as former Spurs player Giovanni Lo Celso. The banner was echoing the words of Argentinian President Javier Milei, who wrote in a post earlier this year that the islands “were, are and will always be Argentine.”
Argentina disputes British sovereignty over the islands and refers to them as Las Malvinas. Political tensions over the territory boiled over into conflict in 1982. The war lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender.
In 2013, a referendum was held in which islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a UK overseas territory, but tensions around the islands had been building again in recent years.
Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarruel stirred things up before the game with a post on X, saying: “This is not just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct – against the English, it’s always something more.Long live Argentina! Because until our very last breath, we will reclaim what is ours.”
Players stand around the banner on the Falklands(Image: Getty Images)
Ahead of the match, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said he was “not going to mix” politics and football, but his players did not get the memo.
Some Argentina fans were branded “disgusting” after booing England’s national anthem before their semi-final. England’s national anthem went first but was drowned out by the Argentine contingent in Atlanta, sparking a flurry of angry reaction from social media users.
Argentina’s win came after Lautaro Martinez scored at the 92nd-minute mark in a brutal comeback for England fans, to take home the win 2-1. Argentina’s win will see them face off European football champions Spain in the Monday final.
England had been on track to reach their World Cup final since 1966. But it would seem that, again, football will not be coming home this time around.
The fierce and enduring animosity between England and Argentina runs much deeper than football, tracing its most intense modern roots back to the Falklands War in 1982. This brief but bloody military conflict over a disputed territory in the South Atlantic Ocean fundamentally changed the diplomatic relationship between the two nations, permanently infusing their future athletic meetings with heavy political and nationalistic undertones, reports the Express.
Over 74 days, the military forces of both nations engaged in intense, close-quarters land, air, and sea battles in unforgiving weather conditions. The fierce fighting finally came to an end on June 14 1982 when the remaining Argentine forces officially surrendered at Port Stanley.
On the football pitch, this geopolitical tension played out during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, where Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal and his spectacular solo effort eliminated a furious England side. They have clashed several times on the global stage since, including a dramatic penalty shootout victory for Argentina in 1998 and a tense 1-0 group stage victory for England in 2002, firmly cementing the fixture as one of international football’s most fiercely contested rivalries.
