Falkland islanders say Argentina should be punished over World Cup row saying they are 'disappointed but not surprised' at Lionel Messi's men

The Falkland Islands has criticised Argentine footballers for waving a banner claiming the UK territory as their own, saying they are 'disappointed but not surprised'.After beating England 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday, Argentina's men raised a white sheet with the words 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' or 'The Falklands are Argentina's'.The move – branded 'particularly insensitive' by Falklanders - has sparked calls for a fine from Fifa and players to be banned from the World Cup final this Sunday.Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur and Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United were among those who raised the banner, while Lionel Messi was near the group.Now, the Falkland Islands government has joined Sir Keir Starmer and veterans in demanding Fifa investigate Argentina for displaying the banner after the semi-final.Fifa said its disciplinary committee was 'assessing match reports', and would consider relevant circumstances 'before deciding on any potential further steps'.A statement from the Falkland Islands government 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. The banner displayed by Argentina last night, therefore, was particularly insensitive for many people in the Falklands. Argentina's players raise a white sheet with the words 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' or 'The Falklands are Argentina's' after beating England 2-1 in Atlanta in the semi-final on Wednesday The Falkland Islands government has told of its disappointment at the Argentine football team'It is the avowed policy of the Falkland Islands Government that we do not wish to see politics being brought into sport. Nor do we wish the Islands and their people to be used as a political football in every conversation about England and Argentina. We welcome the UK Government's supportive statement this morning.'We hope Fifa will make good on their promise to keep politics out of sport, and sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules.' Buenos Aires moans about Navy's warship Downing Street last night dismissed an Argentine complaint that a Royal Navy ship invaded its territorial waters.No 10 insisted the HMS Medway had complied with international protocols and had alerted Buenos Aires in advance of its journeys.The lightly armed patrol ship sailed in and out of Argentine waters, and stopped in the Falklands, on a routine resupply mission earlier this month.But just hours after its players waved a 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' banner at the World Cup, reports emerged of an official Argentine protest.The cooked-up claim suggested the Royal Navy ignored joint agreements with Argentina regarding access to the southern Atlantic.At the time HMS Medway was loaded with supplies bound for the British Antarctic Survey station. The country's foreign minister Pablo Quirno delivered a formal note of protest to the British Embassy claiming the warship 'illegally deployed in the Malvinas Islands' and breached existing bilateral agreements by transiting through 'Argentina's territorial sea'.But a Downing Street spokesman responded: 'The facts here are that we notified the Argentinian government in advance of HMS Medway undertaking a routine logistics visit to Chile between July 5 and 8 to support British Antarctic Survey operations, which will deliver essential stores and supplies to sustain scientific research in Antarctica.'The Royal Navy always operates in full compliance with international law, and the transit from the Falkland Islands to Chile was carried out via the most direct practical route, considering operational safety and weather factors to ensure timely delivery.' Dorothy 'Dot' Gould, a member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, told Sky News: 'Obviously disappointed, not surprised. This has happened before.'As far as we're concerned here in the Falkland Islands, there's no place for politics in sport. It's unfortunate that they've chosen to behave like this, and we hope Fifa take it seriously and carry any sort of punishment towards them for their behaviour.'Argentina fans celebrated their victory jubilantly on Wednesday, with some near the pitch holding the banner. The sign eventually made its way to the players, who held it up as they revelled in their win.But they are set to face disciplinary action for violating Article 34.3 of the tournament's rules prohibiting the display of any political messages or slogans by players before, during or after a match.A Downing Street spokesman hit back at the stunt by saying: 'The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.' Meanwhile, veterans suggested the players speak to victims of the murderous Argentinian regime that launched the failed invasion in 1982 where 907 lives were lost.With Argentina now through to play Spain in the final, No 10 took a further swipe by adding: 'The PM wishes both teams well for the final, especially Spain.'The official stressed a 'central tenet' of the World Cup is that 'politics is separate from football' and called on Fifa to 'do its investigation thoroughly'.No 10 also echoed Business Secretary Peter Kyle's words that this was an 'egregious violation of the rules'.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'The Falkland Islands are British. They will always be British. The Conservatives fought for them before we will do so again if necessary.'Winning a football match does not mean Argentina can have the Falklands, so hands off. The fact is, political messaging is against the rules of Fifa, so that should be investigated.'She said she would ask her young son what kind of punishment the Argentinian team should get, adding that after the match he was 'utterly devastated at that result'.Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said: 'It was deeply inappropriate and deeply disappointing. It's a real shame that people couldn't focus on the football. I think most people looking at it would feel that way. Political tensions between Argentina and Britain over the Falklands have lingered for decades Argentina fans hold the banner at the end of the World Cup semi-final match against England'We have absolutely no doubt about our sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.'The Falklands are British. They remain British. They continue to be British, and Falkland Islanders want to be British, and they have explained that many, many times.'He spoke after Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton criticised the 'disgraceful scenes we saw in Atlanta, where football was used as a platform to challenge the democratic right of Falkland Islanders to determine their own future'.Shadow business spokesman Andrew Griffith, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, and Falklands veteran Simon Weston all urged Fifa to consider banning the players.They cited the case of two Spanish players banned for a game after chanting 'Gibraltar is Spanish' in victory celebrations at Euro 2024.Argentina carried the same banner at an international friendly 12 years ago and were fined.Mr Weston, who suffered severe facial burns liberating the Falklands, told the Daily Mail: 'The last time they got fined was £20,000 by Fifa, but Lionel Messi could spend that on breakfast.'They banned Spanish players after they sang things about Gibraltar. Well, Argentina have sung songs that have been filmed and broadcast. We have to be protective of the islanders.'Mr Griffith said: 'The Argentinian players' display was disgusting and an insult to the Falkland Islanders. Why shouldn't Fifa ban the Argie players from the final?'Sir Ed said: 'Argentine players who celebrated with the banner must be barred from the final.' Buenos Aires accused HMS Medway of making an 'unconsulted and illegal' passage through Argentine territorial waters Last night, PM-in-waiting Andy Burnham was silent on the issue, despite being asked for his thoughts by the Daily Mail.The top penalty is disqualification from the tournament or a suspension, though it is believed they will receive only a fine.Unbelievably, Argentina's Vice President Victoria Villarruel shamelessly shared footage of soldiers invading the Falklands after her country's victory and wrote: 'The Falklands are Argentine.'SAS hero Robin Horsdall, 70, who served in the Falklands, suggested the Argentinian team read up on their own history and the crimes of dictator Leopoldo Galtieri, who launched the invasion.He said: 'They rant and rave about the Malvinas every single time their economy fails, which is just about every year. It's just nonsense and redirection. These players should talk to the Argentinian soldiers forced to go there by a Right-wing military junta.'They should talk to them about the thousands of people murdered and 'disappeared' by Galtieri's government – and the fact that the result of the war ended up giving Argentina a democracy for the first time in a generation.'We didn't only free the Falkland Islanders, we freed Argentina.'Argentina only ever had 100 people on the Falklands for five years from 1826 despite claiming the territory as an 'inheritance' from the Spanish empire in 1820.England was the first country to land on the territory in 1690, settling it in 1765 and – after brief rival settlements under Spain and France – has exercised control since 1833.Asked about members of the team waving the banner, Mr Kyle told BBC Breakfast: 'My reaction is that it was entirely inappropriate. Politics needs to be separate from football.'In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football.'He said: 'We expect Fifa to undertake an investigation into this. I think it was certain to happen because it was such an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football.'On Times Radio, the minister praised Thomas Tuchel's side for their 'dignity', which he said stood in 'perfect contrast' to the Argentina team's behaviour. A street mural in Buenos Aires depicts Diego Maradona and veterans of the 1982 Falklands war Former England international Peter Reid described the Argentina banner display as 'beyond the pale'.Asked whether a fine would suffice, Reid told BBC Breakfast yesterday: 'What else can you do? I don't know. Unless they ring (United States President) Donald Trump and he sorts it out, because obviously he runs FIFA, doesn't he?'President Trump revealed he had personally asked his Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino to 'review' a red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun earlier in the tournament. Fifa's disciplinary committee – which Infantino insisted was entirely independent – subsequently suspended the one-match ban which allowed Balogun to play in their World Cup last 16 match against Belgium.Political tensions between Argentina and Britain over the territory have lingered for decades, after boiling over into a short but bloody war in 1982.Buenos Aires has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the islands, which are about 8,000 miles from the UK and 300 miles from mainland Argentina.In a 2013 vote, the islanders overwhelmingly backed keeping their status as a British overseas territory, but Argentine foreign minister Pablo Quirno has suggested this referendum was illegitimate.Days before the semi-final clash, he used an essay in La Nacion newspaper to claim the population had been 'artificially implanted by the occupying power', which was flatly rejected by Downing Street.Meanwhile, Argentina has lodged a diplomatic protest with the UK over what it called the 'unlawful' movement of a Royal Navy patrol ship near the South Atlantic archipelago.In an official statement shared on X after the semi-final, the country's foreign affairs ministry expressed its 'strongest rejection' of the movements of HMS Medway and accused Britain of a 'military incursion' into its waters.No 10 said the UK had notified Argentina in advance of undertaking a routine logistics visit and the British Navy 'always operates in full compliance with international law'.Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni had said before the game he did not want the fixture to become about the conflict over the territory.But the country's vice-president Victoria Villarruel tweeted a victory message at full-time saying 'it wasn't just another match', alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers.In the build-up to the fixture, she had described England as 'invaders' and 'usurping pirates'.A Fifa spokesperson said: '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.'