The banner comes out again. The banner always comes out
Argentina beat England 2-1, and within minutes the old banner was up: 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas.' Forty-four years since the war that killed more than 900 people, and the wound travels with the kit bags, folded neatly, ready for the cameras. It always makes the squad.
The responses assembled themselves like weather. The Falklands government: disappointed, 'though regrettably not surprised' — the officialese of people who have stopped expecting better. London: an investigation demanded, a commitment 'that will never waver'. Washington, via the White House Fifa taskforce: a free-speech defence of the banner, delivered onto an ally's sore point with the delicacy of a dropped tray. The new prime minister inherits this on Monday, along with everything else.
Precedent says a one-match ban is the going rate — Spain's players got exactly that for 'Gibraltar is Spanish' in 2024. The territorial chant is now a standard tournament fixture, like the anthem and the flyover.
Saturday the two countries meet again at rugby, where players have already threatened to walk off. Sunday is the final. The football has been magnificent. It usually is, on the way down. Enjoy it while it lasts.