India, July 16 -- The British government has called on FIFA to investigate Argentina's national football team after several players displayed a banner asserting Argentina's claim over the Falkland Islands during celebrations following their FIFA World Cup semifinal victory over England, media reports said.

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday. After the match, players posed with a banner handed to them by fans that read "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Malvinas are Argentine"), referring to the Falkland Islands by their Argentine name, Islas Malvinas.

UK says political messages have no place in football

The banner has sparked criticism from the UK government, which argued that political statements ...