Argentina's ultranationalist vice president Victoria Villarruel, whose father fought in the Falklands War, used her team's win to try and score politial points claiming 'The Falklands are Argentine!'09:08, 16 Jul 2026Updated 09:18, 16 Jul 2026The vice president of Argentina has turned her country’s World Cup win over England political by claiming the Falklands "are Argentine".‌Victoria Villarruel, whose father fought in the Falklands War, posted a picture on X of Argentina players holding up a banner on the pitch that read "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" which translated to "The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina".‌Reposting the photo of the grinning football players following their 2-1 defeat of England, Ms Villarruel wrote: "The Falklands are Argentine! They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts."‌FIFA's stadium code of conduct bans "banners, flags, flyers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, ⁠offensive, and/or discriminatory nature". However the Argentinian national team do not seem to have got the memo. Some Argentine players, following their quarter final win against Switzerland were heard saying: "For the Malvinas, for Diego [Maradona] and for Leo [Messi]'s last one."Ahead of yesterday’s match in Atlanta Ms Villarruel had also shared numerous posts about the Falklands, including one saying: “Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates."This isn't just another match."‌Content cannot be displayed without consent“I'm not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it's always something more. It's the Malvinas, it's Diego, it's Leo's last one, and it's putting the brakes on the invaders.”The politician, who is a member of the ultranationalist La Libertad Avanza party, spoke ahead of a match which quickly became heated, with fights and clashes on the pitch between the two nations.‌Ahead of the match Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said he was "not going to mix" politics however Lisandro Martinez and Lo Celso held the banner up for the fans following the Argentina win, joined by eight teammates, including Messi, Exequiel Palacios, and Alexis Mac Allister. Tottenham defender Cristian Romero also held the banner, with Lautaro Martinez, who scored the winning goal, and other teammates standing behind.Argentina disputes British sovereignty over the islands and refers to them as Las Malvinas. Political tensions over the territory boiled over into conflict in 1982.Article continues belowThe 74-day war ended with Argentina's surrender and the collapse of the military dictatorship in charge of the country. The war caused the deaths of 649 Argentine personnel, 255 British personnel, and three islanders.The Falkland Islands were uninhabited and unoccupied until they were first claimed by the British in 1765. In 2013 a referendum was held where islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a UK overseas territory.