FIFA says its independent disciplinary committee is assessing official match reports before deciding whether to take action against Argentina over a politically charged banner displayed after their World Cup semi-final victory over England.
Argentina players celebrated their 2-1 win by holding a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”), referring to the disputed South Atlantic islands claimed by both Argentina and the United Kingdom.
A FIFA spokesperson told the BBC that, “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.”
The incident has drawn criticism from the UK government, which has called on FIFA to investigate the display, arguing that political messages have no place on the football field. FIFA’s disciplinary code prohibits political or provocative messages during official competitions. (Newswire)