BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel called England’s “rapeable pirates” ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two countries’ teams.
“Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates. It’s not just another game,” Villarruel said in a post on X.
The iconic match will take place against the backdrop of an ongoing sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic.
“I don’t want to be politically correct or keep a cool head – it’s always something more against the English,” Villarruel wrote.
“It’s Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last race and it’s about stopping the strikers in their tracks,” she continued, referring to the late football legend Diego Maradona and current star striker Lionel Messi.
“Go Argentina! Because until our very last breath we will keep claiming what is ours!” she wrote, echoing a popular anthem sung by Argentine fans during the tournament.
Villarruel’s father fought in the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina’s military dictatorship and Britain over the South Atlantic islands, whose sovereignty remains disputed.
The 74-day conflict ended in a British victory, leaving 649 Argentines and 255 British dead.
The vice president’s remarks contrasted with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and several players, who sought to play down the political and historical significance of the match.
“It’s a football game, plain and simple. So to mix the two would be madness,” Scaloni said.
On Tuesday, Argentina’s security minister Alejandra Monteoliva said that under the security plan for the semi-final in Atlanta, fans would be prohibited from bringing flags or other items referring to the Falkland Islands into the stadium.
