ARGENTINA players celebrated their World Cup semi-final victory over England by holding up a disgusting banner claiming the Falkland Islands.
Madcap fans were also seen waving the deplorable sign claiming sovereignty over the islands, whose inhabitants have voted overwhelmingly to be a British Overseas Territory.
After the final whistle, their jubilant players held up a banner which read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” – which translates to “The Falklands are Argentine”.
Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, ex-Spurs flop midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez were among those holding the sign.
Midfielder Leandro Paredes told a reporter in a post-match interview that the Falklands “will always be Argentine”.
Fifa already slapped Argentina with a £20,000 fine in 2014 for holding up a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.
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After Argentina’s victory, vice-president Victoria Villarruel posted on X that “it wasn’t another match” alongside a video of what seemed to be Argentine soldiers.
She wrote: “The Falklands are Argentine. They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts.”
England and Argentina fans were seen brawling outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Multiple arrests were made outside the grounds as police stepped in to break up scuffles.
Islanders have held “Proud to be British” parades after repeated Argentine attempts to lay claim to the territory they unsuccessfully tried to snatch in 1982.
England fought hard to win tonight’s high-stakes semi-final clash against their old rivals, but in the end it was not to be.
There will be no fairytale in New Jersey for Thomas Tuchel and England, no chance to end the 60 years of hurt.
And after losing a match they were winning with six minutes to go, quite how Tuchel will get any of his squad up enough for the pointless third-place game against France in Miami is hard to see.
Anthony Gordon tucked home from Morgan Rogers’ cross nine minutes into the second half, sending England’s fans wild.
Luck also seemed to be on their side as Jordan Pickford saved from Nicolas Gonzalez and the post denied Alexis Mac Allister.
But Tuchel made the same mistake we have seen from so many England managers over the years by dropping so deep there was no out ball.
And when you are playing Lionel Messi that always is a recipe for disaster.
So it proved, heartbreakingly so.
Maybe a taller keeper might have kept out Enzo Fernandez’ leveller.
But Pickford had no chance when Lautaro Martinez was freed – despite all those white shirts – to head home at the start of stoppage time.
It was a devastating end to a dream but, even as the bully boys from Buenos Aires pulled out every trick in the book, not an unfair one.
The frustration will be all the more deep because it was so close.
Until Messi stepped up, it felt like it would be England’s night, but they fell at the penultimate hurdle.
But the Argentinians disgusting banner celebration will leave an even more bitter taste in the mouth.
Britain fought a bitter war to defend the Falklands Islands in 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the territory.
It claimed the lives of 255 servicemen, three islanders, and 649 Argentine personnel.
Ahead of the game, Argentina’s hate-filled vice-president branded England “usurping pirates”.
Its chainsaw-wielding bully president Javier Milei brazenly cheered his government’s shameless push to snatch the Falklands.
“We are doing everything humanly possible to bring the Falkland Islands back into Argentine hands,” Milei told Neura.
“Sovereignty is not negotiable, but it must be done judiciously, it must be done with intelligence.”