Argentina players send message to fan at centre of Falklands fury after England match | Football | Sport
Argentina players held up a Falkland Islands banner after beating England (Image: Getty)
Argentina players have reportedly said they will not return the Falkland Islands banner to the fan who brought it into the stadium during their win over England. The Three Lions suffered a 2-1 defeat to the reigning world champions in Atlanta on Wednesday night in the semi-final, missing out on the chance to reach Sunday’s final in New Jersey.
After the game, some members of the Argentina squad held up a banner that read: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” which translates to “The Falklands are Argentine” in English.
Malvinas is the name that Argentina give to the Falkland Islands, with the banner causing plenty of controversy since the match in Georgia.
Many believe that the banner is offensive, with 255 British soldiers killed during the Falklands War in 1982. The UK Government issued a statement following the scenes, which read: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.”
The creator of the banner, who has been referred to only as Santiago to protect his identity, has told the story of how he managed to get the banner to the Argentina players inside the stadium in Atlanta.
Santiago says he created the banner using a hotel bedsheet and paint purchased from a local shop.
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“When I saw [Gonzalo] Montiel, I threw it to him and he caught it. He passed it to [Giovani] Lo Celso, who was the first to hold it up,” Santiago told Perfil, via the Buenos Aires Times.
He continued: “When I saw Lo Celso open it up and his teammates holding it on the pitch, I felt a joy I can’t put into words – how could a piece of bedsheet mean so much to every Argentine.”
Argentina’s players held a banner which translated to ‘The Falklands are Argentine’ (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
“It was crazy. I never imagined that flag would go around the world because of a silly idea we had in a hotel room,” Santiago added.
In response, Santiago is reported to have sent a request to Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), to get the banner back in his possession.
However, Santiago is said to have been told in response that “the boys don’t want to give it back.”
FIFA responded to the backlash following the use of the banner by launching an investigation.
“As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent Disciplinary Committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps.”
However, the White House has claimed the Argentine players were exercising a First Amendment right to freedom of expression when they protested about the Falklands.
Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday evening, with both countries remaining unbeaten across all seven of their previous matches in the tournament, including the group stages.
