Argentina players have free speech right to wave ‘Falklands are ours’ banner, Trump’s World Cup chief says

ARGENTINA’S players had the right to wave the disgusting Falklands banner after their win against England, Donald Trump’s World Cup chief has claimed. Lionel Messi and Co sparked fury for brandishing a vulgar sign saying “The Falklands are Argentinian” after their 2-1 semi-final victory. Argentina’s Giovani Lo Celso holds a banner with the words “The Malvinas are Argentine” Credit: AP Trump’s World Cup chief Andrew Giuliani (L) defended the Argentine players Credit: Getty White House World Cup chief Andrew Giuliani has defended the players’ decision to brandish the factually incorrect “Falklands are Argentine” sign, citing “free speech”. He said: “We believe in our first amendment rights… Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! “In terms of the ability, the opportunity to be able to make those statements, they have the ability to do that in the United States of America.” It should be noted that the White House does not set rules for Fifa or the World Cup. Fifa has said it is assessing match reports as it decides whether or not to launch a formal investigation into the deplorable act. The fan who allegedly smuggled the sign into Atlanta Stadium – despite bans on political banners – has bragged about how he made it from a hotel bedsheet and a £7 pot of paint. He is understood to have hidden it in his sweaty underwear before chucking it onto the pitch. The flag-smuggler, reportedly from Villa Luro, Buenos Aires, admitted he hadn’t acted alone, saying “we made it on the same day as the match”. Most read in Sport The disgusting sign was shown after the World Cup win on Wednesday Credit: AFP Andrew Giuliani, head of the The White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 Credit: AP Seeking to shift blame on his own supporters, defender Gonzalo Montiel previously insisted: “They just threw one down from the stands and the boys grabbed it.” Argentina’s madcap president has even backed up the team and boasted that they’ll probably only receive a fine for their pathetic behaviour. Nationalist firebrand Javier Milei spewed: “It is perfectly valid and legitimate for the players to want to express themselves and do so.” The Falklands Islands’ own government has even slammed the crass banner. They said: “The Falklands government is disappointed – though regrettably not surprised – that the Argentine football team decided to tarnish the result of last night’s World Cup football semi-final – a game that did not in any case involve the Falkland Islands. “That said, it is hardly news to anyone that the people of the Islands were victims of an aggressive invasion in 1982, which left many traumatised.” Downing Street has backed calls for Argentina to be hit with some form of punishment from Fifa for the abhorrent display. Under Fifa’s disciplinary code, political gestures of this nature usually result in financial penalties rather than sporting sanctions. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) will most likely face a hefty fine, alongside a formal warning about future conduct. A statement from No10 on the controversy read: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.” The islands in the south Atlantic are a British territory that the UK fought a bitter war to defend in 1982, when Argentina’s military dictatorship launched a brutal invasion. They are home to a population of around 3,500 who voted almost unanimously to remain British in 2013, but Argentina can’t let the grudge go and still claims the territory for themselves. Britain have claimed the islands since before the state of Argentina declared independence from its coloniser Spain in 1816. Comment now