Argentina should get over it: the Falklands are ours, writes James Hanson
There aren’t many bigger grudge matches in international football than England versus Argentina.
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The World Cup semi-final will reignite a decades-long rivalry both on and off the pitch. From Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal in 1986, via David Beckham’s red card for a petulant kick at Diego Simeone in 1998, to Goldenballs’ redemption four years later when he scored the winning penalty in a group stage clash, games between the two countries have always delivered high drama.
But what adds an extra layer of animosity is the inescapable shadow of the Falklands War. Maradona famously claimed the ‘Hand of God’ was ‘symbolic revenge’ for Argentina’s defeat in the conflict four years earlier. Even today, Argentina fans still regularly chant ‘anyone who doesn’t jump is an Englishman’, and following the side’s Round of 16 victory over........
