The political tension between the nations can be traced back to 1982 and Argentina’s invasion of the Falkland Islands.
The war between Britain and Argentina lasted for 74 days and resulted in the deaths of 907 people, including 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 from Britain and three Falkland Islanders.
Argentina’s players showed a banner that reads in Spanish, “The Malvinas [Falkland Islands] belong to Argentina”. Photo / Thomas Coex, AFP
Argentine forces surrendered on June 14, 1982, which effectively ended the conflict and handed victory to the British.
Back on the pitch, Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal at the 1986 World Cup has been a sore spot for England supporters, but the Argentine forward followed it with one of the most impressive goals ever seen at the tournament.
Argentina’s players have been filmed throughout the tournament singing songs about the “Malvinas”, the name Argentina give to the islands, but their coach Lionel Scaloni sent a message to fans to remind them the fixture is just a game.
Before the semi-final kicked off, Argentina’s Vice-President Victoria Villarruel called the English “usurping pirates”, while Argentina fans were also seen burning British flags.
Fifa have strict rules about political expressions within stadiums during the World Cup, but did not take any action against the South American nation around their changing room chant.
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