​British prime minister Keir Starmer is calling for FIFA to investigate if the Argentinian soccer team violated the agency’s rules against political demonstrations after its players unfurled a controversial banner claiming the Falkland Islands—a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic—”are Argentinian.”Players of Argentina hold the controversial Malvinas banner after the Semi Final match at Atlanta Stadium.Getty ImagesStarmer echoed a call from another British politician to investigate what rules may have been broken when Argentinian players unfurled the banner and, through a spokesperson, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the Falklands and said, “Politics should stay out of football.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter Argentina secured a 2-1 win over England in the semi-finals Wednesday, the team’s players celebrated on the pitch and held up a banner that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” which translates to “Malvinas are Argentinian.”Las Malvinas is the Spanish name for the South Atlantic archipelago known as the Falkland Islands, which is administered by the British but also claimed by Argentina as a part of its sovereign territory.Several Argentinian players, including Giovani Lo Celso, Lisandro Martínez and Nicolas Otamendi, were seen holding up the banner before laying it down face up on the Atlanta Stadium pitch.It’s unclear whether the players brought their own handmade banner into the stadium or took it from their supporters in the crowd.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn Thursday, Starmer’s spokesperson said, “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.”While they have many claimants to the archipelago over the last few centuries, it has remained under de facto British control since 1883, except for two months in 1982. A military force dispatched by Argentina’s military junta-led government seized control of the islands in April 1982. The Argentines argued that they have always maintained claims to the Islands and that the military action was simply a reclamation of their sovereign territory. The move triggered a military response from Britain, leading to the Falklands War. The conflict ended in June with an Argentine surrender and the British retaking control of the island. The war resulted in the deaths of 649 Argentine soldiers, 255 British troops, and three civilians residing on the islands. Despite the military defeat, Argentina continues to maintain its claims on the islands, and in 1994, it amended its constitution to reflect this. The islands residents have held two sovereignty referendums since the war, one in 1986 and one 2013. In 1986, 96.45% voters backed British sovereignty and in 2013, 99.8% voted to keep it that way.The Argentine banner may run afoul of FIFA’s stadium code of conduct for the 2026 World Cup, which states “any materials, including but not limited to banners, flags, fliers, apparel and other paraphernalia, that a