Banner that brought on worldwide incident in England loss was ‘smuggled in fan’s lingerie’
The fan, calling himself ‘Santiago’, bragged he made it from his hotel bedsheet then stuffed it in his pants to sneak it into the Atlanta stadium where the World Cup semi-final was being played.
The flag was snuck in inside a fan’s undies(Image: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The Falkland Islands banner that Argentina players sparked outrage by waving after they beat England was smuggled in by a fan – in his underpants.
The fan, calling himself ‘Santiago’, bragged he made it from his hotel bedsheet with a £7 pot of DIY store black paint. He then stuffed it in his pants to sneak it into the Atlanta stadium where the World Cup semi-final was being played.
The banner – which read ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’ or ‘The Falklands are Argentinian’ – is now at the centre of an international row. Argentina players unfurled it on the pitch, triggering outrage from the UK and Falkland Islands governments.
Argentina players laid claim to the islands following the win over England(Image: Getty Images)
The Falkland Islands has demanded action from FIFA after lodging an official protest. UK Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has demanded the players who flaunted it are banned from Sunday’s final.
And Falklands War veteran Simon Weston, who was injured in the 1982 conflict, said they “incited hatred” after their World Cup win.
FIFA has promised to investigate whether it breaches rules barring players from making political statements at matches but may not make a judgement until after the final.
Argentine forces invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands in 1982(Image: Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
Santiago told Argentinian newspaper Todo Noticias: “I folded it as much as I could, put it in my private parts to get through security checks, and in the end we managed to get in.”
He said he threw it to Argentina right-back Gonzalo Montiel, who passed it to his team-mates. When he saw players holding it Santiagio said: “I felt a joy that I can’t put into words. How a piece of a bedsheet could mean so much to all Argentinians.
“It was crazy. I never imagined it would end up going around the world because of a simple crazy idea we came up with at the hotel. Luckily there were no problems because most of us behind the goal were all Argentinians.”
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey demanded the players who flaunted it are banned from Sunday’s final(Image: ANDY RAIN/EPA/Shutterstock)
Argentina’s president Javier Milei said ‘understandable’ the players had waved the banner and it was ‘perfectly valid and legitimate’ for them to mix football and politics. “The Malvinas are Argentine,” he added, saying ‘worst case’ FIFA would probably impose a fine.
Tensions erupted after the match when the banner was unfurled following Argentina’s 2-1 comeback victory over the Three Lions. And fanning the flames later on TV, midfielder Leandro Paredes said: “The Falklands will always be Argentinian.”
The country’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel also tweeted a victory message at full-time saying “it wasn’t just another match”, alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers.
The flag sparked an international row(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
In the build-up to the fixture, she had described England as “invaders” and “usurping pirates”. In the capital Buenos Aires a million people gathered to celebrate the victory – with England flags being set on fire.
Responding to the jibes, Sir Keir Starmer commented: “The World Cup might not be ours but the Falkland Islands definitely are.”
