The British government has urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s soccer team after its players displayed a banner claiming sovereignty over the Falkland Islands during celebrations following their World Cup semi-final victory over England.Argentina beat England 2-1 FIFA World Cup semifinal Wednesday in Atlanta. During the post-match celebrations, the Argentine players posed with a banner given to them by supporters in the stands that read, “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Malvinas are Argentines”). Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas.The team could face disciplinary action from FIFA under rules banning political messaging on the pitch.UK business secretary Peter Kyle criticized the players’ actions, saying they crossed the line between sport and politics.“Politics should be separated from football,” Kyle told the BBC. “In fact, the World Cup has one of its central principles that politics is separated from football.“This is now a matter for FIFA. I hope that FIFA will conduct its investigation properly.”The rivalry between England and Argentina extends beyond football because of the long-running dispute over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory with a population of around 3,500 people. The islands are located approximately 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) from the United Kingdom and approximately 300 miles (480 kilometers) from Argentina.Argentina claims the islands were illegally taken in 1833. Britain says its claim dates back to 1765 and that it sent a warship to the islands in 1833 to drive out Argentine forces that had tried to establish sovereignty over the territory.The dispute led to the Falklands War of 1982 after Argentina invaded the islands. The conflict lasted 10 weeks and ended with Britain regaining control. A total of 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service personnel and three islanders were killed.