MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

A Chelsea fan displays a Falklands flag as Enzo Fernández comes on

The supporter's gesture referred back to the controversy that arose after the World Cup semi-final played on July 15 in Atlanta, in which Argentina beat England 2-1

A Chelsea supporter held up a Falkland Islands flag at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández came onto the pitch during the club's final pre-season friendly, a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad.

The player entered in the 62nd minute and took the captain's armband from Reece James, who left the field at that point. The stands responded with a mixture of boos and cheers. Match reports agree it is unclear what prompted the reaction: uncertainty over his future at the club, or his conduct during the World Cup. Morgan Rogers opened the scoring after eleven minutes and João Pedro scored twice in the second half.

The supporter's gesture referred back to the controversy that arose after the World Cup semi-final played on July 15 in Atlanta, in which Argentina beat England 2-1. At the end of the match, several players unfurled a sheet reading “Las Malvinas son argentinas” — “The Falklands are Argentine” — in front of the stands. Those identified in the images include Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez. Fernández, who scored the equaliser in that match, was part of the squad but has not been named among those holding the banner.

Article 34.3 of the tournament regulations prohibits the display of political messages or slogans by players before, during or after a match. FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the Argentine federation over team misconduct, security and protocol failures, inappropriate messages displayed, and discriminatory chants and gestures. The case remains open.

The British government described the episode as a flagrant breach of the rules on political messaging in stadiums and called for it to be investigated. The Falkland Islands Government, in a statement to Mirror Football, expressed disappointment and noted that the match did not involve the Islands in any way. It said Islanders were victims of an invasion in 1982 that left many traumatised, making the banner particularly insensitive, and stated that its policy is not to see politics brought into sport, nor the Islands used as a “political football” in every conversation between England and Argentina. It expressed hope that FIFA would sanction such behaviour in line with its own rules.

Argentina maintains a sovereignty claim over the Islands, administered by the United Kingdom since 1833. In the 2013 referendum, residents voted overwhelmingly to retain their status as a British overseas territory.

Fernández, 25, remains the subject of speculation about a departure from Chelsea. The club set an asking price of around 120 million pounds and received no bids before Friday's deadline.