FIFA investigates Argentina over banner after match with England

FIFA is investigating Argentina after players displayed a banner declaring that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina during celebrations following their World Cup semifinal victory over England. It is unclear whether any punishment could affect the final against Spain.

The banner was displayed on the field at the stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday after Argentina defeated England 2-1. Written in Spanish, it read: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” or “The Falkland Islands are Argentine.”

“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 based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code,” FIFA said Thursday.

FIFA has not said which players are under investigation or when a decision will be announced. Its disciplinary code allows sanctions ranging from warnings and fines to individual match suspensions, but no potential penalty has been identified in this case.

Political messages are prohibited at FIFA matches, while football’s international rules also ban political slogans, statements or images on player equipment.

Argentina was fined 30,000 Swiss francs by FIFA in 2014 after its players posed with a banner carrying the same message before a World Cup warm-up match against Slovenia.

The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, are a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic, about 300 miles east of Argentina. Argentina claims sovereignty over the islands, and the United Nations recognizes an unresolved sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom.

Argentina invaded the islands in April 1982, leading to a 74-day war in which British forces regained control. The sovereignty dispute has continued since then.