Milei says Argentina’s Falklands claim belongs at the negotiating table, not on the pitch

Argentina president Javier Milei has criticised the national team’s decision to raise a Falkland Islands flag while celebrating their victory over England in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup.

Milei said Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the islands should be pursued through diplomacy rather than football, and warned against mixing sporting celebrations with political disputes.

The match was played at the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. After Argentina’s win, players celebrated with the flag and chants of “The Falkland Islands are Argentine”.

Although Milei has repeatedly argued that sport and politics should be kept separate, he said players could react emotionally in the immediate aftermath of a major victory.

“It is not good to mix oil with water,” Milei said in a television interview, drawing a comparison with Elvis Presley’s response when asked about the Vietnam War.

“Elvis was asked about the war and replied that he was an artist and did not comment on politics. It is the same here; it is sport, a game. It is not good to mix oil with water.”

Milei said he agreed with Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni’s stance on the issue, but distinguished between the actions of footballers and those of politicians.

“Players may act out of emotion in that moment. This cannot be accepted from politicians, because their statements could be interpreted as a declaration of war,” he said.

The most contentious part of Milei’s remarks came when he referred to Diego Maradona’s two famous goals against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Maradona scored twice in Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over England, including the controversial “Hand of God” goal and a second widely regarded as one of the greatest in World Cup history. Milei said those moments could not alter the political status of the islands.

“We have to remain calm. Maradona’s goal against the English, or any other goal, did not get the Falkland Islands back for us. They did not pay us back blow for blow,” he said.

Milei also claimed that his administration had made tangible progress on the Falklands issue through diplomatic channels.

“We pushed the United Nations to force England to sit at the negotiating table, and that has already happened,” he said. “We are carrying out diplomacy so effectively that the United States has expressed its support for us, as has China and some sectors in England.”

The president’s latest comments follow criticism he made several days earlier of the Argentina players’ conduct after the match against England. At that stage, he described their “The Falkland Islands are Argentine” chant as “unwise” and insisted that “the players are not part of diplomacy”.

Milei has maintained that Argentina’s position on sovereignty must be advanced through negotiations, while arguing that football victories and gestures cannot resolve the dispute. His latest intervention again links the issue to one of the most politically sensitive rivalries in international football.