A British official demands the withdrawal of work visas from Argentine players in the English Premier League

A British official demanded the cancellation of work visas for the Argentine professional players in the English Premier League, after a number of them raised a banner reading “The Malvinas Islands are Argentine” during their celebrations of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup final following the victory over England in the semi-finals.

The former assistant to the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Neil Gardiner, said on the “X” platform that the British authorities should withdraw work visas from every Argentine player in the English Premier League who participated in this initiative, considering that “such actions should not be tolerated.”

These statements come against the backdrop of the historical dispute between Britain and Argentina over sovereignty over the Malvinas (Falklands) Islands, which dates back to the 1982 war.

The English Premier League currently includes six players from the Argentine national team: Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Marcos Senesi, Lisandro Martinez, Alexis McAllister, and Enzo Fernandez.

The Argentine national team is scheduled to face its Spanish counterpart in the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday (23:00 UAE time) at MetLife Stadium in the United States.