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On Wednesday night, Argentina beat England 2-1 in the semi-finals of the men’s World Cup: during the celebration, some Argentine players displayed a banner with a nationalist slogan that declares Argentina’s sovereignty over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, which are part of the United Kingdom (“Falkland Islands” is the name used by the British, “Islas Malvinas” is the one used by the Argentines).
British far-right politician Nigel Farage took it very negatively: in the only post on X in which he commented on the match, he focused on the behavior of Argentine footballers, which he said was “disgusting.” He then added that “the most urgent thing to do is to strengthen the navy,” presumably to counter a hypothetical attempt to invade the islands by Argentina.
There is no concrete reason to believe that Argentina wants to invade the Falkland Islands/Malvinas. But the issue of control of the islands is still very much felt in Argentina and is regularly brought up again when the two countries face each other in sporting situations, especially when the national football teams are playing. There is a big rivalry between Argentina and England, with one of the chants from Argentine fans during Wednesday’s match asking the team to also win “for the Malvinas”.
The Falkland/Malvinas Islands are located approximately 500 kilometers from the coast of Argentina and more than 12 thousand from the British Isles. They are home to about 3,500 people who declare their allegiance to the United Kingdom. In 1982, under the far-right regime of Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentina invaded the country to annex it. A war ensued that lasted 74 days, killing 650 Argentine soldiers and 255 British, and was won by Britain.
Before the match, Farage had already mentioned the Falklands-Malvinas War – and the victory over Argentina – in another post on
However, Farage has a good relationship with Argentine President Javier Miley, although Miley has repeatedly stated that the Falkand Islands/Malvinas belong to Argentina. The two share similar views: they are both far-right politicians, and Farage has in the past praised Milea’s policies for significantly cutting public spending in Argentina.
Farage is in a rather difficult situation right now. Last week he abruptly resigned as an MP after his party – Reform UK – was accused of receiving illegal funding. The resignation necessitated a by-election, and Farage immediately announced that he would stand again: to demonstrate, he said, that he still had the support of voters; according to all other parties, to try to divert attention from the allegations.