White House backs Argentina over Falklands ‘Malvinas’ World Cup flag stunt

The White House has come to the defence of Argentina's national football team after players displayed a banner asserting sovereignty over the Falkland Islands during their World Cup celebrations.

As jubilant players celebrated their dramatic 2-1 semi-final victory over England, cameras captured several members of the South American squad posing with a banner bearing the message "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" - "The Falkland Islands are Argentine" in English.

Andrew Giuliani, who heads the White House Fifa task force, said on Friday that the players had every right to express themselves on American soil.

"We believe in our First Amendment rights here in the United States of America," Mr Giuliani told reporters.

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The Argentine Football Association (AFA) now faces possible disciplinary action from Fifa, with the display potentially breaching the governing body's rules banning political messages at matches.

The AFA was slapped with a £20,000 fine by Fifa in 2014 after players held up a banner carrying the same "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" message during a friendly against Slovenia.

The latest gesture sparked fury across Britain and inside Downing Street, with No10 declaring: "The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are."

While the Government said any sanctions would be a matter for Fifa, it made clear it shared Business Secretary Peter Kyle's view that the incident warranted a formal investigation by football's world governing body.

Downing Street also said the Prime Minister wished both Argentina and Spain "well for the final, especially Spain".

The Falkland Islands Government also condemned the "insensitive" political display, while admitting it was not surprised by the provocation.

In a statement, it said it hoped Fifa would "sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules".

"We do not wish to see politics being brought into sport," the islands' Government added.

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Fifa has confirmed it is considering disciplinary action against the Argentine players pictured holding the banner.

A spokesman for the governing body 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."

Whether that process will conclude before Argentina's World Cup final on Sunday remains unclear.

The people of the Falkland Islands have previously made their position unequivocally clear.

In a 2013 referendum, 1,513 people voted to remain a British Overseas Territory, with just three voting against on a turnout of more than 90 per cent.

The archipelago was first reached by English explorers more than a century before Argentina became an independent state.

The Falklands had no permanent population before the British arrived.

Argentina's military junta invaded the Falklands in 1982, but was defeated by British forces after 74 days of fighting.

A total of 649 Argentine servicemen were killed during the conflict.

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