Before the last-four tie, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni had said he was “not going to mix” football and politics.<\/p>\n
“The reality is that this is a football match. I can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago,” Scaloni had said.<\/p>\n
“It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it, that’s the reality.<\/p>\n
“Things are happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticise the existence of war. We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match – we shouldn’t confuse the two.”<\/p>\n
Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarruel, however, cited a chant which the players sang following their dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt<\/a> in the last 16 which referenced the Falklands and Argentina greats Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n “This is not just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct – against the English, it’s always something more,” wrote Villarruel in a post on X., external<\/a> <\/p>\n “It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s about putting the invaders in their place.<\/p>\n “Long live Argentina! Because until our very last breath, we will reclaim what is ours!”<\/p>\n