UK government tells FIFA to probe Argentina over Falklands banner celebration

The UK government has called on FIFA to examine Argentina's post-match celebrations after several players displayed a banner asserting the country's claim over the Falkland Islands following their World Cup semi-final victory over England.

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday to secure a place in the World Cup final. After the final whistle, members of the squad were seen holding up a banner passed to them by supporters that read, "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Malvinas are Argentine"), referring to the



disputed South Atlantic islands known in Britain as the Falkland Islands.

Reacting to the incident, UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle described the gesture as "entirely inappropriate" and said FIFA should look into the matter.

"Politics needs to be separate from football," Kyle told the BBC. "In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football.

"That is now a matter for FIFA. I expect FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly."