'We won the battle' – Argentina reacts to England victory with Falklands jibe

Argentine tabloids have made jibes at England after last night’s World Cup semi-final ended in a controversial Falkland Islands demonstration. Argentine players held up a banner on the pitch that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates to “The Falkland Islands are Argentine”, after beating England 2-1 in a tense match in Atlanta on Wednesday. Cronica, a widely-read tabloid in Argentina, wrote that players had “reminded England of something important” after they hung the banner in the centre of the pitch.

The paper said Argentina had “won the battle” though the “longstanding problem” of the Falkland Islands remained. The article read: “Argentina knocked England out of the 2026 World Cup and reminded them of something important: “The Falkland Islands are Argentine.” It continued: “The historical armed conflict over that territory was clearly, and will continue to be, present every time they meet in any competition. Although the solution to that longstanding problem has not yet arrived, today our people smile because, in a way, they have won an important battle against the British.”

“Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo,” IFAB’s rulebook states.

“For any offense the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organizer, national football association or by FIFA.”

Anticipating tensions around the game due to the 1982 conflict, Argentina’s security minister, Alejandra Monteoliva, specifically said that flags and banners referencing the territory’s sovereignty would not be allowed into the stadium.

The demonstration came after a gruelling 100 minutes of play. Despite England retaining the lead for the majority of the match after Anthony Gordon’s stunning 55th-minute goal, Argentina took the lead with two late goals within six minutes of each other, with the winning header landing in injury time.