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FIFA will take no action against Argentina after its players sang a song referencing the Falkland Islands in their dressing room following their comeback victory over Egypt.
Footage shared online by the country’s football association showed the group celebrating in their dressing room post-match and belting out the song Muchachos, which includes the line ‘for the Malvinas’, Argentina’s name for the South Atlantic islands it invaded in 1982 to trigger a war which claimed the lives of 907 people.
FIFA, who have banned England player Jarell Quansah for two games following a red card, states that it strictly prohibits political chanting, slogans, and banners inside tournament venues.
FIFA declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Sport, however, it is understood they will take no action against the Argentines who England may face in the semi-final should both teams progress on Saturday.
As this newspaper previously reported, England fans were denied permission to bring flags into the World Cup stadium because they featured a silhouette of a soldier as a mark of respect to those who died in conflict.
Indeed, a group of Barrow supporters were told they could not display a St George’s cross because it contained an image of a submarine, which is synonymous with the ship-building town.
Argentina will not face punishment after players celebrated their win over Egypt by singing a popular fan chant which references the Falkland Islands
Lionel Messi and Co came back from 2-0 down to beat Egypt in the last 16 this week
The song Muchachos was sung throughout Argentina’s victorious 2022 campaign and has been updated for the current tournament. Its lyrics include the line: ‘I am Argentine from cradle to grave, for the Malvinas, for Diego (Maradona), for Leo’s (Messi) final chapter.’
The original opened with the lyrics ‘I was born in Argentina, land of Diego and Lionel, and of the Malvinas lads whom I’ll never forget’.
The footage was shared by the Argentine Football Association on social media, with the caption ‘Study up and learn, this is how La Scaloneta (the nickname for the national team) sings’.
A total of 649 Argentinian and 255 British military personnel died in 1982 after a UK task force was sent to reclaim the islands in a bloody, 74-day conflict.
Quansah’s two-game ban comes after President Donald Trump controversially called FIFA president Gianni Infantino as part of an ultimately successful bid to overturn Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension.
US striker Balogun had been sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was due to miss their Round of 16 clash with Belgium until FIFA succumbed to Trump’s pressure and controversially suspended the one-match ban for a year.
The move caused uproar, with UEFA branding the decision ‘unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable’.
However, Quansah has not been afforded the same fortune by the FIFA disciplinary panel, with a two-match ban imposed on the defender for his dismissal against Mexico in the Round of 16.
Red cards automatically result in a one-match suspension at the World Cup, but FIFA can extend bans as they see fit.
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