From Malvinas to Kosovo: The Most Iconic Political Banners in World Cup History

The article discusses the phenomenon of the challenges faced by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) in maintaining the neutrality of sports in the face of escalating political and nationalistic tensions during World Cup tournaments. It reviews previous cases, including Argentine players raising a "Malingnas Argentine" banner in 2014, signals related to Kosovo during the 2018 Russia World Cup, a flag bearing a map of Kosovo at the 2022 World Cup, as well as the controversy surrounding the "OneLove" armband linked to human rights. These incidents confirm that despite its sporting nature, the World Cup often transforms into a platform that reflects historical and national conflicts between countries, hindering the implementation of the principle of complete neutrality and highlighting the difficulty of separating sports from politics in events driven by national and sovereign identities.