Argentina won the World Cup semifinal against England, then promptly handed FIFA a disciplinary headache. Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso celebrated on the pitch in Atlanta by brandishing a banner reading "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" — The Falklands are Argentine — and now FIFA's Disciplinary Committee has opened proceedings against both the players and the Argentine Football Association.
This isn't unprecedented. In 2014, FIFA fined Argentina 20,000 pounds for doing exactly the same thing before a friendly with Slovenia. That fine did nothing to deter anyone, apparently. The question now is whether FIFA treats a repeat offence at the actual World Cup with considerably more weight than a pre-match friendly twelve years ago.
The Falklands banner is just the start
The banner case is the most politically charged allegation, but it's far from the only one. FIFA is also investigating Argentina across the tournament for discriminatory chants and gestures, late kickoffs, security protocol failures, inappropriate messages from the team and spectators, and objects thrown by fans. That's a comprehensive list of failures, not a single isolated incident.
Then there's the final in New Jersey, where Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time. The moment the whistle went, Leandro Paredes shoved Gavi to the ground as Spain's substitutes flooded the pitch. A brief brawl followed.
Paredes now faces three assault counts — three. Nahuel Molina faces two. Molina, Thiago Almada, Argentine official Roberto Ayala, and Spain's Gavi each face one count of unsporting behaviour. Gavi's inclusion suggests FIFA isn't letting Spain entirely off the hook for the chaos at the final whistle either.
What happens next
FIFA confirmed the respondents have been given the opportunity to present their positions before the Disciplinary Committee issues a verdict. Expect the usual drawn-out process. Argentina will likely argue context and passion. FIFA will weigh precedent.
For the AFA, this is a reputational headache stacked on top of what should have been a celebrated tournament run. They reached the final. They lost it 1-0. And now their players face a combined nine disciplinary counts with the organisation's own official in the dock alongside them.
The 2014 fine was 20,000 pounds. This time, the scale of the alleged breaches — political banner, post-match violence, pattern of crowd incidents — suggests FIFA will be looking for something that actually registers.
