Furious Brit politicians have called for the Argentine players who hoisted the controversial 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' to be banned from the World Cup final13:02, 17 Jul 2026Argentina players who hoisted a "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" sign after Messi's side dealt England a devastating 2-1 World Cup loss have sparked outrage in the UK, leading to calls to have the team punished by FIFA for the "egregious" act.‌FIFA confirmed on Thursday that it is assessing the incident "as is standard procedure" after the rulebreaking manouvre by the team, during which Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso held the flag - which translates to "The Falkland Islands are Argentinian" - while others, including Messi, smiled widely nearby. Holding political flags in a stadium breaks the organisation's Stadium Code of Conduct, and it is expected that the Argentine side will be handed a fine for the infraction.‌But the move sparked an immediate political firestorm and even a statement from outgoing PM Keir Starmer, and some Brits have called for players to receive a suspension from Sunday's World Cup final.‌FIFA confirmed in a statement on Thursday that its disciplinary committee is "assessing the match reports" after the flag incident. A spokesperson said: "As is standard procedure, FIFA's independent Disciplinary Committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code."Argentina's team is no stranger to making the statement following games, having done so in 2014 during a friendly match against Slovenia.‌FIFA at the time handed the Argentine Football Association a £20,000 fine, a move the country's president, Javier Milei, said he expects will happen again in 2026. But British politicians left furious by the flag have called for the players to receive a ban or more severe punishment.Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader and MP for Kingston and Surbiton, said: “The players who actively held, posed with, and promoted this political banner must be issued an immediate one-match ban, disqualifying them from participating in the final."‌Do you think the Argentine players should receive a ban? Vote in the poll below and have your say.Louie French, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, and Tory shadow sports minister, raged in his own statement: “The Falklands are British. That is not up for discussion. Last nights pathetic stunt by the Argentinian team was shameful and FIFA must the throw the book at them.”‌Official representatives for the Falkland Islands were equally disappointed by the manouvre, with the Falkland Islands Government Office in London saying in its own statement that it was "regrettably not surprised" it happened.They accused the team of deciding "to tarnish the result of last night's World Cup football semi-final - a game that did not in any case involve the Falkland Islands". The spokesperson added: "The banner displayed by Argentina last night, therefore, was particularly insensitive for many people in the Falklands," the statement continued.Article continues below"It is the avowed policy of the Falkland Islands Government that we do not wish to see politics being brought into sport. Nor do we wish the Islands and their people to be used as a political football in every conversation about England and Argentina."We welcome the UK government's supportive statement this morning. We hope Fifa make good on their promise to keep politics out of sport, and sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules." The Prime Minister's spokesperson said: "The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our commitment to the Falklands will never waver."