In Buenos Aires, Argentines back World Cup players over banner
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NEW YORK/BUENOS AIRES, July 16 : Locals in Buenos Aires voiced support on Thursday for Argentine World Cup players who held up a banner asserting sovereignty over the Falkland Islands after their semi-final victory over England, even as Britain urged FIFA to investigate the incident.
Some players brandished a banner declaring "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine") after their 2-1 victory over England in Atlanta.
A Reuters photograph showed the white, homemade-looking banner initially waved by fans celebrating in the stadium's front row. According to Argentine newspaper Clarin, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso approached the supporters and asked to borrow it.
Later photos showed him holding it up with centre-back Lisandro Martinez, while the players were singing and celebrating, facing their fans. It can later be seen lying on the grass.
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FIFA's Stadium Code of Conduct bans "banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature" inside stadiums.
It had not issued any public sanction as of Thursday and declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Similar actions in the past by footballers have led to fines or match bans.
British business minister Peter Kyle told BBC Radio on Thursday that the incident must be formally investigated, stressing that politics must be kept separate from the World Cup.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, in a public letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, said the act "directly insulted the people of the islands" and called for the players to be disqualified from participating in Sunday's final.
The question of sovereignty over the South Atlantic British overseas territory, known to the British as the Falklands and to the Argentines as the Malvinas, has been a long-running sore in relations between the countries.
They fought a short conflict over the islands in 1982, in which 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British combatants died.
Near a monument to the Argentine war dead in central Buenos Aires, locals Reuters spoke to were supportive of the team's actions.
"For me, it is very important that players, as public figures, give their opinion, especially on issues that are so sensitive for us," said 30-year-old Martin Aguirre.
"That is why we really appreciate the gestures by Licha (Martinez) and Giovani Lo Celso, because even though they know they could face a sanction or some kind of problem over this, they still raised that flag."
Federico Schenone, 52, said it was not a political gesture but a "matter of history and legitimacy."
Although he did not directly mention the banner, talisman Lionel Messi said after the game: "When you play a match of that magnitude, so many things come into play. History weighs on a game like that."
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