Argentina escape serious punishment over Falklands banner as two players receive 17-match ban for World Cup final brawl

Argentina have avoided the severe punishment some critics had demanded after several of their players displayed a banner claiming the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina following their World Cup semi-final victory over England.

FIFA has instead imposed a two-match partial stadium closure on Argentina, meaning only half the usual crowd will be permitted at their next two home matches. However, one of those matches has been suspended.

The Argentine Football Association has also been fined £235,000, although £73,000 of that amount is suspended.

The sanctions over the banner stand in sharp contrast to the punishment handed down to two Argentina players for their conduct during the World Cup final against Spain. Midfielder Leandro Paredes has received a 10-match ban, while team-mate Nahuel Molina has been suspended for seven matches.

Falklands banner sparks criticism

The controversy began after Argentina defeated England 2-1 in their semi-final last month.

A banner reading ‘The Falkland Islands are Argentine’ in Spanish was initially displayed among supporters before being passed down to members of the Argentina team.

Despite FIFA’s rules prohibiting political flags, former Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez and former Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso were pictured celebrating with the banner after the final whistle.

Argentina captain and star player Lionel Messi was also seen dancing beside it.

The display prompted criticism in Britain, including from UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle, who described the use of the banner as ‘entirely inappropriate’. He praised England’s conduct, saying it stood in ‘real contrast with what we saw with the Argentina team’.

Tory shadow minister Andrew Griffith also called for FIFA to impose a stronger punishment.

‘Labour’s Chagos surrender has made us look weak, and British territory up for grabs. The Falklands are British. Whoever won the football. This idiotic display from the Argies was clearly against FIFA rules. They should be punished,’ Griffith said.

Heavy bans after World Cup final brawl

FIFA’s toughest sanctions against Argentina have instead come in response to the scenes that followed their 1-0 defeat by Spain in last month’s World Cup final.

Paredes was at the centre of the confrontation. The 32-year-old grabbed Spain defender Eric Garcia by the neck before punching Gavi in the face and pushing him to the ground during the post-match disorder.

He has now been banned for Argentina’s next 10 matches and fined £65,000.

Molina was also involved in the confrontation. He struck Spain captain Rodri in the torso as the midfielder ran past, prompting Rodri to turn and confront him.

FIFA has subsequently handed Molina a seven-match suspension.

The two bans mean Paredes and Molina will miss a combined 17 matches.

Argentina’s Thiago Almada and Spain’s Gavi have each received one-match bans for their involvement in what FIFA considered unsporting conduct during the post-match scenes.

The financial impact

The £235,000 fine imposed over the Falklands banner is relatively small compared with the £25million prize money Argentina received after finishing runners-up in North America.

There was also a precedent for FIFA imposing a financial penalty over the same political message.

Twelve years ago, Argentina players displayed the same banner during an international friendly. The team was fined only £20,000 on that occasion, leading to calls for a more severe response when the banner appeared again during the World Cup.

Why the Falklands remain so contentious

The dispute carries particular weight because of the history surrounding the Falkland Islands.

During the 1982 Falklands War, 907 people were killed, including 255 British servicemen. The conflict began after Argentina invaded the islands and ended with British forces retaking them.

Britain first landed on the uninhabited islands in 1690 and claimed them for the Crown in 1765. The UK has maintained a permanent presence there since 1833.

Argentina declared independence from Spain in 1816 and became a fully unified state 47 years after Britain’s permanent presence on the islands was established.

The islands’ residents have also expressed a strong preference to remain under British sovereignty. In the last official referendum, held in 2013, 99.8 per cent of voters chose to remain a British Overseas Territory.

FIFA’s latest ruling therefore leaves Argentina facing a significant punishment for the violence that followed the World Cup final, while the controversial Falklands display has resulted primarily in a partial stadium closure and a financial penalty.