World · 16 July 2026
Explained: Why Argentina's Football Team Waved a Falklands Banner
Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Argentina invaded the islands in April 1982 and British troops drove them out after 74 days, but it has never dropped its claim. Argentines call them Las Malvinas, and the claim is written into their constitution, so players raising it is a habit rather than a one-off. In a 2013 referendum, islanders voted almost unanimously to stay British, with three votes against.
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