Argentina’s players’ behaviour was “entirely inappropriate” when they waved a banner in support of their country’s claims to the Falkland Islands after their World Cup semi-final win against England, senior minister Peter Kyle has said.
Argentina, the defending champions, beat the Three Lions 2-1 in Wednesday’s match in Atlanta.
Argentina fans celebrated their victory jubilantly, with some near the pitch holding a banner which read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates to “The Falkland Islands are Argentinian”.
The banner referring to the dispute over the British overseas territory made its way to the players, who held it up as they revelled in their win.
Peter Kyle, business secretary, said: "My reaction is that it was entirely inappropriate.
"Politics needs to be separate from football.
"In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football.
"That is now a matter for Fifa.
"I expect Fifa to do its investigation thoroughly."
He said: "I think it was certain to happen because it was such an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football."
Fifa rules expressly prohibit political statements and gestures on the field.
Long-standing tensions between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland Islands date back to the 1982 conflict, during which many lives were lost.
Argentina maintains its claim of sovereignty over the British overseas territory, which lies about 8,000 miles from the UK and 300 miles off Argentina’s coast.
Prior to the match, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said he did not want the fixture to be overshadowed by the dispute.
However, Argentina’s vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, posted a victory message on social media following the win, declaring "it wasn’t just another match" alongside a video apparently showing Argentinian soldiers.
Ahead of the game, Ms Villarruel described England as "invaders" and "usurping pirates."
Mr Kyle went on to praise Thomas Tuchel’s side’s conduct during the match, contrasting their behaviour with that of the Argentinian side.
He said Thomas Tuchel’s side displayed "dignity," which stood in "perfect contrast" to the Argentina team’s behaviour.
Argentina now face the possibility of disciplinary action by Fifa pending a full review of the incident.
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