Argentina and England are set to meet for the fifth time since the Falklands War, with the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday at 20:00 BST carrying more than football for Argentines. The rivalry has been renewed by a chant that reached the players after their round-of-16 win over Egypt, and by the memory of a war that still shapes the match.
After that win, Argentina players sang, “For the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo's last one,” tying the game to the islands, to Diego, and to Messi’s expected final tournament. The Falklands War lasted 74 days and claimed 907 people, including 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 from Britain and three Falkland Islanders.
Buenos Aires and the Malvinas
Nicolas Rotnitzsky said the chant sits inside Argentine football culture rather than outside it. “It's part of the Argentine culture,” he said, adding, “It's like 'we are not them - we are us'. So we have to jump to prove that we are not one of them.”
That logic also explains why the match lands differently in Argentina than it does in England. England see Argentina as football rivals, but for Argentina the game is tied to the Falklands War and national identity, with the Malvinas chant carrying that history into the stadium.
Before a friendly against Zambia at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires in March, veterans from the Falklands War joined the players on the pitch to sing the national anthem. A song regularly sung at football matches and rock concerts includes the line, “And now you see, and now you see, whoever doesn't jump is English!”
Falkland Islands and British control
The Falkland Islands have been a British Overseas Territory since 1833 and sit 300 miles off the east coast of Argentina. Argentina believes it should have sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, and Argentina invaded the islands in 1982 before losing the war that followed.
Those facts explain why the semi-final is drawing increased security measures. The match is not only a path to a World Cup final; it is also a public test of how far football can carry a dispute that has lasted 44 years.
Wednesday at 20:00 BST
Argentina and England go into Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final with a sporting meeting that has become a historical marker as much as a fixture. The result will decide which team moves on, but the atmosphere around the game will be shaped by how supporters handle the Malvinas chant and the added security around the match.
