Keir Starmer supports a Fifa investigation into Argentina players who held a banner backing their country's Falklands claim after beating England in the World Cup semi-final, Downing Street has said.
Keir Starmer supports the idea of Fifa investigating Argentina players who displayed a banner touting their country’s claim to the Falkland Islands after their World Cup semi-final win against England, Downing Street has said.
The prime minister watched the match while travelling to Ukraine by train for what Downing Street described as the final overseas trip of his prime ministership. According to the Guardian, Starmer endorsed a call by Peter Kyle, the business secretary, for Fifa to “thoroughly” investigate what rules may have been broken.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the islands “definitely” belong to the UK. The spokesperson added that the prime minister “wishes both teams well for the final, especially Spain”.
Fifa, football’s world governing body, said it is “assessing the match reports” before deciding whether to punish Argentina, the BBC reported. No decision on any potential sanction had been announced at the time of reporting.
The banner was shown after Argentina’s semi-final victory over England, which sent the Argentine side through to the World Cup final against Spain. The incident has drawn political reaction in the UK, where the status of the Falkland Islands remains a sensitive issue.
The sources do not detail the exact wording of the banner, which players held it, or what specific Fifa rules might apply to the display.
Why it matters
The dispute mixes an international football tournament with a long-standing territorial disagreement between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. Governing bodies such as Fifa generally seek to keep political statements out of matches, so any decision on sanctions could set a precedent for how such displays are handled at major tournaments.