After the referee blew his whistle for fulltime at the end of Wednesday's World Cup semifinal, Argentina players understandably celebrated their come-from-behind 2-1 win in injury time over their longtime bitter rivals England.
However, during the celebrations, Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso waved to the fans and held up the banner, which read: "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine"). It was unclear where the banner had come from, but there was a report that it had earlier been seen displayed in the stands.
"And they will always be Argentine," midfielder Leandro Paredes told a reporter when asked about the banner.
"We were aware of what this match meant for the country. We tried to represent our nation and all those who lived through that sad moment in our history, so that they could identify with us and we could convey a positive image."
Apparent violation of FIFA rules
