Express reporter Adam Toms spent two weeks in Argentina earlier this year and was not surprised at players' and fans' actions

15:45, Thu, Jul 16, 2026 Updated: 16:47, Thu, Jul 16, 2026

Players hoist Falklands banner after winning game

Argentine players held up a banner claiming sovereignty over the Falkland Islands after winning (Image: Getty)

As I sat slumped at a table in an east London pub on Wednesday with my head in my hands, a wave of fury, heartbreak and disappointment came over me. Hello again, old friend. England had once again handed victory to their opponents after having the upper hand. Inexplicably, Thomas Tuchel chose to have his players sit back way too early and record only 12% possession against a team that includes the best player in the world. Losing another semi-final would hurt against any nation, but against Argentina, it hurts that little bit more.

They are obsessed with us. Fans have sung derogatory songs about Englishmen when they weren’t even playing against us during the World Cup. I visited Argentina earlier this year, and knew that the Falkland Islands, what they call the Malvinas, are shouted about often, and their image is a common sight on T-shirts, road signs, murals and banners. Sure enough, this was the case among Argentine fans over the past month or so.

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Adam Toms with Margaret Thatcher bust in Falklands

Adam visited the Falkland Islands and Argentina earlier this year (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

The country’s politicians have also piped up of late, demanding talks over the archipelago in the South Atlantic, which was regained by British forces during the Falklands War in 1982.

As I sulked with a pint of Red Stripe, wondering if I would ever see England win something before I expire, a friend showed me a photo of the Argentine players with a banner declaring “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas”.

My eyes rolled. I was not surprised at all. As well as erroneous, this phrase is incredibly irritating. Spending time in Buenos Aires, I felt at times like I had passed through the looking glass, as locals genuinely believe that Britain will be forced to hand over the islands.

If the Argentine squad had any good grace whatsoever, they would have kept the politics out of the game, congratulated the English players for their efforts and celebrated with their fans, without the unpleasant, vengeful glee.

Leandro Paredes excused the players’ actions by saying that last night’s game “wasn’t just a football match” and the Falklands War was “a sad part of our history”.

This does not wash. It was a football match, not another skirmish on the battlefield, which the British would probably win.

Some English fans are guilty of singing songs about the Germans when we play them, but any petty chants are kept in the stands. England’s players do not indulge in any of that sort of stuff and stay professional.

Argentina’s players are talented individuals and experts at their craft, bringing joy to millions and winning on a regular basis.

But they let themselves down, and I hope they get handed down a significant punishment – not one that can just be brushed off – by FIFA.

An organisation that is fickle and spineless and can be influenced (allegedly) by Donald Trump into dropping a red card will not do this, of course.

I would ask the Argentine players who live and play in England this: if you dislike us so vehemently, why don’t you go somewhere else?

You’re perfectly happy to earn shedloads of money in London, Manchester, or whichever city you apply your trade in, and then slag us all off and back a nonsensical notion that a territory of the United Kingdom proudly lived on by Brits is actually Argentinian.