Rivalry heats up: Argentina provokes England with a historic decision

Argentina goaded England with a historic decision on Thursday, one set to spark serious controversy in the hours ahead.

They had just beaten the Three Lions 2-1 in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup, a result that left England seething.

Argentina's players raised a banner on the pitch after the win reading "The Malvinas Islands are Argentine". Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as "the Malvinas Islands".

The gesture triggered fury across England, prompting the United Kingdom government to call on FIFA to investigate.

Now, according to ESPN, the Argentine Football Association have unanimously approved making 15 July "National Football Teams Day" to commemorate the victory over England in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup.

Trailing 1-0 until the 85th minute, Argentina rallied to win 2-1 and reach the final for the second World Cup running.

An official statement from the Argentine Football Association read: "This date was chosen to commemorate the Argentina national team's historic and great victory over England in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup."

Beating England revived Argentina's historic claim to the Falkland Islands, which lie around 8,000 miles from Great Britain and 300 miles from the Argentine mainland.

Javier Milei, Argentina's president, called the players' celebration with the banner "completely correct" and said the message "reflects a feeling shared among all Argentines", though he expected FIFA to hit the team with a fine.

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