Argentina pulled off yet another late-stage dramatic victory to book their place in the FIFA World Cup final. Though the game against England was thrilling, the celebrations that followed have caused as much debate as the result of the game. After the final whistle, several Argentinian players were seen with a banner referencing the Falkland Islands, reigniting a decades-old dispute.

One of the people who weighed in on the post-game celebration was a former advisor to the late UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who called for several players to lose their right to work in the UK. Gardener was her foreign policy aide and helped write her final book, Statescraft.

“Every Argentine player in the English Premier League who took part in this ugly anti-British display should be stripped of their UK work visa,” Nile Gardener posted on his X account. “There should be zero tolerance for this.”

He followed it up with another post, using even harsher words: “Third World behaviour. What an embarrassment on the World Cup stage.”

Here’s what happened. After Argentina’s 2-1 win over England, Argentinian players Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso were seen holding a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (The Falkland Islands are Argentinian). It refers back to the long-standing political dispute between the UK and Argentina on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory.

It culminated in the 1982 Falklands War, which was overseen for the UK by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The display itself is likely against FIFA’s rules. FIFA Stadium Code of Conduct bans “banners, flyers, apparel, and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature” within stadiums. FIFA has not put out any statements about potential repercussions yet.

This is not the first time the conflict has come up in this tournament. In the lead-up to the game, Argentinian Vice President Victoria Villarruel wrote an emotionally charged message referencing the conflict.

Her X post in part read, “This isn’t just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more. It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders. Go Argentina! Because until our last breath, we’re going to claim what’s ours!”

Gardiner’s comments have added a layer to the controversy, ensuring that the debate has extended beyond the game itself.