From the Falklands War to Maradona: why Argentina vs England is soccer’s fiercest rivalry
- Written by: Weekend Times
“A football game – and that is all.”
These words were calmly uttered by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni soon after the 3-1 win over Switzerland in the World Cup quarter-finals.
It set up a mouthwatering semi-final against England, who won through after defeating Norway 2-1 in their quarter-final.
But images of violent confrontations – such as the ones that took place in Miami between Argentine and English supporters, alongside other videos capturing similar fights and Argentine players chanting “for Malvinas (the Falkland Islands) for Diego (Maradona), for Leo (Messi)’s last one!” – are telling a different story.
Scaloni’s statement was likely said to reduce the possibility of what should be a fair game between two talented teams ending up in an explosive display of masculine toxicity, which is the reason why security and policing in Atlanta has been enhanced ahead of the match.
The modern-day rivalry
Few rivalries in world sport carry as much weight off the pitch as Argentina vs England.
The upcoming semi-final between these two teams is a reminder of an open wound: the 1982 Falklands/Malvinas War.
This history transforms every match into something more than a game, and nowhere is this clearer than in the chants that fill the stands.
Take “El que no salta es un inglés” – “he who doesn’t jump is an Englishman”.
This famous Argentine chant suggests those who don’t support the team passionately aren’t real fans – and even worse, they are labelled English.
That same impulse shows up in the slang term “Ingla-perra”, a jab that fuses “Inglaterra” (England) with “perra” (bitch).
Crude as it is, it is similar to the jumping chant in that both turn soccer language into a vessel for grievances that have little to do with the sport itself.
The chants surge especially around flashpoint matches – Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” in 1986 chief among them – when sporting drama and national memory collided.
Read more: 40 years on, Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal is still celebrated. But should it be?
Maradona, the legandary Argentina player who became an iconic figure of patriotic heroism, later justified the illegal goal, stating:
For me, it was like stealing from a thief.
Ironically, five Argentine players – including goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who said “it’s nice to play amongst mates” referring to members of the English team – play in England’s Premier League.
Read more: There’s more to being a goalkeeper than just stopping shots. Here’s how they get there
Since the 1986 clash, the teams have been involved in several other controversies, most notably when Argentina won a penalty shootout in the 1998 World Cup after David Beckham was controversially sent off for kicking Argentina’s Diego Simeone.
The rivalry began long ago
Even more complexity emerges when we look at the history of how soccer emerged in Argentina.
The roots of one Argentina’s greatest passions are to be found in the same country that is now their greatest rival: England.
Clubs in Argentina were founded by the British in the 19th century when railway engineers, investors, landowners and merchants established themselves in the country as a ruling elite. These settlers had such political and economic influence that historians view the Anglo-Argentine case as one example of what they call an “informal empire”.
The British invasions of the Río de la Plata (1806–07) and the Falkland Islands/Malvinas (1833) represent two contrasting episodes of the Anglo-Argentine relationship.
The former ended in military defeat and fuelled local independence movements, while the latter secured permanent British rule over the islands.
In this way, Argentina-England matches function as ritual as much as competition. The chants aren’t really about tactics or skill – they’re a language fans use to keep a historical conflict alive, one jump and one insult at a time.
When history, politics and sport collide
Sport and politics are always intertwined, especially at major events such as the World Cup.
External circumstances such as the United States bombing Iran (a participant in the World Cup), while hosting the event might not take away the joy this worldwide sport brings to billions of spectators, but such events create opportunities to reflect on why what happens off pitch cannot be ignored.
In his journal of his famous voyage aboard HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin lamented the fact Spain, and not the British empire, had colonised Argentina:
How different would have been the aspect of this river if the English colonists had by good fortune first sailed up the Plata! What noble towns would now have occupied its shores!
Looking at a 1981 photograph of Maradona with Queen’s Freddy Mercury wearing a t-shirt with the British and Argentine flags respectively, one cannot help to recreate Darwin’s regret, reverting the terms in the context of the territorial dispute that has caused so much friction:
How different would have been the upcoming World Cup semi-final if the English hadn’t occupied the Falklands/Malvinas in 1833?
Fernanda Peñaloza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
