ITV star Lorraine Kelly has slammed the Argentinian football team after they unveiled a hand-painted banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas", which means "The Falklands are Argentine" after their defeat of the UK in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, July 15. The defending World Cup champions beat England 2-1 in Atlanta. The banner was echoing the words of Argentinian President Javier Milei, who wrote in a post earlier this year that the islands "were, are and will always be Argentine."

The Scottish star, who was in America to support her home country team at the beginning of the championships, took to Instagram to share a picture of them waving the banner, which she accompanied with a furious caption. "SHAMEFUL!! FIFA should throw the book at them. What an insult to the Falkland Islanders and to all our brave British armed forces who fought in the Falklands War. I hope Spain gives them a right humping in the final," she fumed.

Argentina has long claimed it inherited the islands, which it calls Las Malvinas, from Spain ​after its independence in 1816 and has claimed that Britain took control in 1833 through an illegal colonial act.

Britain and Argentina fought a brief war in 1982 over the disputed territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. This fundamentally changed the diplomatic relationship between the two nations.

On April 2, 1982, Argentine military forces launched an invasion of the Falkland Islands. In response, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher assembled and dispatched a naval task force to the South Atlantic to recapture the islands by force.

Over 74 days, the military forces of both nations engaged in intense, close-quarters land, air and sea battles in unforgiving weather conditions. The fighting ended on June 14, 1982, when the remaining Argentine forces officially surrendered at Port Stanley, returning complete control of the territory to the UK.

While they have progressed to the final on Sunday, July 19, where they will face Spain, Argentina now face sanctions from FIFA for their full-time celebrations, with the governing body and football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), maintaining a firm position on the display of political flags.

"Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images," the IFAB rulebook states. "Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo.

"For any offence, the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA."

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni had said before the game that he did not want the fixture to become about the conflict over the territory. However, the country’s vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, didn't seem to agree and took to X to post a victory message at full-time, saying "it wasn’t just another match" alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers. In the build-up to the crunch game, she had described England as "invaders" and "usurping pirates".