Argentine club unveil jersey bearing 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' slogan amid FIFA inquiry

Argentinian second-division club Almirante Brown unveiled a special-edition jersey carrying the slogan "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Malvinas are Argentinian") during Sunday's second-tier victory over Racing de Córdoba, amid FIFA's ongoing inquiry into a similar banner displayed by Argentina's national team at the FIFA World Cup.

The commemorative shirt features the slogan prominently on the front, reaffirming Argentina's long-standing claim over the Falkland Islands, which the country refers to as the Islas Malvinas.

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Unlike Almirante Brown's traditional yellow-and-black striped kit, the new jersey adopts horizontal sky blue and white bands inspired by the colours of the Argentina national team.

Ahead of Sunday's match, the club announced the tribute on Instagram, saying: "Forever Argentinian! We're proud to present our tribute shirt to the Islas Malvinas, which will be worn for the first time in the match against Racing de Córdoba this Sunday."

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After the game, Almirante Brown posted a photograph of its starting XI on X with the caption: "They are Argentinian!"

The back of the jersey also features a silhouette of Argentina captain Lionel Messi performing his trademark goal celebration, with both index fingers pointing towards the sky.

The shirt's design mirrors the banner displayed by Argentina's players after their 2-1 victory over England in the FIFA World Cup semifinal in Atlanta, which carried the same "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" message.

Last week, FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the Argentine Football Association (AFA) over alleged breaches of its regulations during several World Cup matches. Among the cases under review is a potential violation of Article 13, paragraph 2(c), which prohibits the use of sporting events for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature, following the display of the banner after the England match.

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Argentina President Javier Milei defended the players' actions, calling the banner "perfectly valid" and saying it reflected "a sentiment shared by all Argentines," although he acknowledged FIFA could impose a financial penalty.

FIFA previously fined the AFA £20,000 (around $27,000) after Argentina's players displayed a banner bearing the same slogan before a friendly against Slovenia in 2014.

The Falkland Islands, located around 300 miles off Argentina's coast and roughly 8,000 miles from Britain, remain the subject of a long-running sovereignty dispute between the two countries.