Argentina vice president Victoria Villarruel celebrated her country’s team’s victory against England yesterday evening by claiming on X that the Falklands “are Argentine”. Argentina entered the FIFA World Cup Final last night after defeating England with a glorious 2-1 in a dramatic match in Atlanta.
Ms Villarruel, who is the daughter of a Falklands War veteran, wrote on X: “The Falklands are Argentine! They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts.” As the match ended on Tuesday, even Argentina players celebrated while holding a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates as “The Falklands are Argentine”.
Britain’s claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands dates back to 1690, and it has maintained control of the territory continuously since 1833.
The islands’ residents have repeatedly expressed their desire to remain under British rule, most notably through an overwhelming vote in a referendum supporting their status as a British Overseas Territory rather than coming under Argentine influence. Despite this, Argentina continues to contest British sovereignty over the islands.
While the Falklands War of 1982 remains a sensitive historical issue that does not directly impact sporting events, references to the dispute persist, with some Argentine fans regularly singing songs related to the islands.
However, this is not the first time Ms Villarruel has made such a remark. Over the past few days, she has been posting such claims on the social media. In another post on X, she posted what looks like a segment of documentary footage from her country’s failed invasion of the Falklands.
The clip featured Argentine soldiers waltzing onto the British Overseas Territory in 1982, while a voiceover is heard saying: “The British wanted to send them home.”
She shared video with the caption: “Thank you Enzo, Thank you Lautaro, Thank you Argentina National Team for giving us one more joy! It wasn’t just another match!”
On Tuesday morning, Ms Villarruel branded England “usurping pirates” as she issued a rallying cry to her nation on their quest to the World Cup final.
She wrote: “Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates. This isn’t just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more. It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders. Go Argentina! Because until our last breath, we’re going to claim what’s ours!”
Meanwhile, senior minister Peter Kyle said it was βentirely inappropriateβ for Argentinian players to wave a banner in support of their country’s claims to the Falkland Islands after their World Cup semi-final win against England.
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