A British minister has called for FIFA to investigate Argentina's football team after players unfurled a banner asserting their claim over the Falkland Islands following their World Cup semifinal victory over England. Business Minister Peter Kyle stated the banner, reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentinian”), constituted an “egregious violation” of FIFA’s rules prohibiting political symbols on the field.

Downing Street, the office of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, backed the call for an investigation, emphasizing the principle that politics should remain separate from sport, especially at an event like the World Cup. The incident occurred after Argentina secured a 2-1 win against England in the semifinal match held in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday.

Minister Kyle urged football's global governing body to conduct a thorough investigation into the banner display. He reiterated that the World Cup operates on a core tenet of keeping politics separate from football and expressed the expectation that FIFA would act on the matter. FIFA has not yet issued any public comment regarding the incident.

The Falkland Islands, known as Las Malvinas in Argentina, are a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. The two nations fought a brief war over the archipelago in 1982, which resulted in the United Kingdom regaining control. The conflict led to the deaths of 649 Argentinians and 255 Britons.

Adding to the pre-match tensions, Argentinian Vice President Victoria Villarruel had referred to the English as “usurping pirates” prior to the kickoff. Following the semifinal match, Argentina's foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, announced that Buenos Aires had lodged a formal protest concerning the passage of a British warship near the Falkland Islands.

Quirno stated on social media that Argentina expressed its “strongest rejection” of the HMS Medway's “unconsulted and illegal” transit through Argentinian territorial waters. He alleged that the vessel, which is based in the Falklands, violated bilateral agreements, citing a diplomatic note of protest submitted to the British embassy in Buenos Aires on Monday.

Argentina maintains historical claims to the islands, asserting they are part of its territory, while Britain occupied the Falklands in the 19th century. The dispute over sovereignty remains a sensitive issue between the two South American neighbors.

This incident highlights the ongoing political sensitivities surrounding the Falkland Islands and their potential to spill over into international sporting events, despite FIFA's regulations against political displays.