White House supports Argentina over Falklands banner controversy

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Washington: The White House has defended Argentina's national football team after players displayed a banner reading ‘Las Malvinas son Argentina’s’ (‘The Falklands are Argentine’) after winning the World Cup semi-final against England, triggering demands from FIFA to punish the team for the politically charged message.

Andrew Giuliani, the chairman of the White House's World Cup task team, said that the players' actions were permitted by free speech regulations in the United States, stating that they had the right to express their opinions while there.

The banner revived Argentina's long-running territorial dispute with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, also known as the Malvinas in Argentina. UK officials and the Falkland Islands government criticised the display and urged FIFA to take disciplinary action, stating that political statements have no place in football.

FIFA is investigating the incident to see if the banner violated its regulations forbidding political remarks during matches. Any disciplinary penalty, if enforced, is expected to take place prior to Argentina's World Cup final against Spain.