FIFA has formally opened disciplinary proceedings against Argentina over the Falklands banner and a lot more besides

[Richard_36]

FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Argentina covering a wide range of alleged breaches from this summer's World Cup, and the headline one is the banner reading The Falklands are Argentine that players displayed and laid on the pitch after beating England in the semi final in Atlanta

The specific charge relates to article 13 paragraph 2c of FIFA's statutes, which bars using a football match for demonstrations of a non sporting nature, worth noting the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands remains a long running and unresolved dispute between Argentina and the UK, so this is exactly the kind of political statement that rule exists to keep out of stadiums regardless of which side of the dispute anyone sits on

That is far from the only charge though, FIFA is also looking into alleged discriminatory chants and gestures, teams turning up late for kickoff, objects being thrown, and broader security and protocol failures across the tournament, so this is a genuinely broad disciplinary sweep rather than a single incident

Then there is the fallout from the final itself, Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain and several players are now facing individual proceedings, Leandro Paredes faces three separate assault charges for grabbing and pushing Spain players, Nahuel Molina is charged over striking Rodri after the whistle, and both Thiago Almada and coach Roberto Ayala have proceedings opened against them too, Spain's Gavi is separately being looked at for unsporting behaviour on the other side

Sky's correspondent made a point worth sitting with, this all lands on a day when FIFA is also facing its own controversy over reported plans from Gianni Infantino to sell off parts of the World Cup, which makes the timing of these disciplinary announcements feel at least a little convenient for shifting the conversation back onto player conduct rather than FIFA's own governance

World Cup 2026: FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Argentina over several potential breaches including Falklands bannerwww.skysports.com