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Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano “Depo” Martinez sparked a storm of criticism on social media in his home country for his subdued stance on the sensitive Falkland Islands issue, in contrast to the enthusiastic celebrations of his teammates after Wednesday’s 2-1 win over England in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals.
Martinez, in statements given to the Argentinian television channel De Sport, denied that the motive behind the Albiceleste’s return was a desire to avenge Diego Maradona or the Falkland Islands dispute, saying: “I don’t think that’s the reason. matches.
This neglect of the issue of the disputed islands caused great anger among Argentine fans, with one commenting:
On the other hand, many of his teammates dedicated the victory to the victims of that war, and defender Lisandro Martinez declared: “We weren’t going to let the Argentinians down,” while Leandro Paredes confirmed. “The Falkland Islands will forever remain Argentine.
After the game, Giovani Lo Celso and other players held up a banner reading “The Falkland Islands are part of Argentina” in a gesture that could subject the team to sanctions by FIFA, which bans political messages in stadiums, while Depo Martinez remained completely silent.
The goalkeeper is now at odds with a section of the Argentinians, but a win in the final next Sunday night could change a lot.
