- Argentina 's vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, escalated political tensions ahead of the World Cup semi-final against England by labelling them "invaders" and "usurping pirates" in a post on X.
- Villarruel explicitly connected the football match to the historical dispute over the Falkland Islands , which Argentina calls Las Malvinas, stating it was "always something more" than just a game.
- In contrast, Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni , urged for a clear separation of sport and politics, describing the conflation of the two as "madness" and emphasising the match's focus on football.
- Authorities, including the FBI, Fifa, and local police, addressed the potential for fan escalations due to the deep-seated historical animosity, leading to additional security personnel being deployed for the semi-final in Atlanta.
- Meanwhile, in the UK, pubs anticipated a significant economic boost from the match, with the British Beer and Pub Association forecasting an additional six million pints to be sold on Wednesday, representing a 75 per cent increase on an average day.
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