Dollarama has recalled a popular garlic powder sold at its stores nationwide across Canada after health officials warned the product may be contaminated with Bacillus cereus, a bacterium capable of causing food poisoning.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency published the recall notice for Heavenly Spices brand Garlic Powder on Wednesday, July 15, though the recall was formally issued by Dollarama L.P. on July 14. The agency classified the recall as a Class 2 event, its designation for situations involving a moderate risk that consuming the affected food could lead to short-term or non-life-threatening health problems. The recall applies to the product’s 70-gram packaging, which was distributed both in stores and online across the country.

The affected garlic powder can be identified by its universal product code, 6 67888 50634 7, along with a best-before date printed on the packaging as “2029 JAN 30 GP 30ZV PIT.” The CFIA’s recall notice instructed retailers and consumers alike not to use, sell, serve or distribute the product. “Do not use, sell, serve or distribute the affected product,” the agency stated in its notice.

Bacillus cereus is a bacterium widely found in the environment, including in soil, and is a common cause of foodborne illness. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, infection with the bacterium typically causes symptoms including nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and watery diarrhea. The bacterium is commonly associated with foods such as meats, stews, gravies, vanilla sauce and cooked rice that has been improperly refrigerated or left sitting at room temperature for extended periods, conditions that can allow the organism to multiply and produce toxins.

Canadian health authorities offered somewhat differing accounts of the illness’s typical duration and severity. The Public Health Agency of Canada has said symptoms can last between six and 24 hours and may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting, while the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control has described symptoms as generally resolving within a day or two in most cases. Both agencies noted that while most people recover without medical treatment, some cases can be more severe, with the BCCDC specifically flagging that individuals experiencing extreme vomiting or diarrhea should focus on staying hydrated. The Public Health Agency of Canada added that although most cases resolve on their own within one to two days, severe instances can, in rare circumstances, lead to more serious complications or death, with elderly individuals and those with lower stomach acidity facing higher risk.

Dollarama has moved to address the recall directly with customers. A spokesperson for the company told CTV News that customers who purchased the affected garlic powder should throw the product away rather than attempting to return it to a store. The company is offering an alternative form of compensation instead of a standard refund. “Customers can also contact Dollarama Customer Service directly for a $2.00 e-gift card as a replacement,” the spokesperson said. Customers seeking that compensation, or with other questions about the recall, have been directed to contact Dollarama by emailing client@dollarama.com with a photo of the product and its lot number, or by calling the company’s customer service line at 1-888-365-4266, available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.

Members of the public with questions or concerns about the recall more broadly can also reach the Canadian Food Inspection Agency directly, either through its general public inquiries line at 1-613-773-2342, available for both local and international callers, or by emailing information@inspection.gc.ca. The agency’s media relations team can be reached separately at 613-773-6600 or via email at cfia.media.acia@inspection.gc.ca for press-related inquiries.

The garlic powder recall adds to a broader pattern of food safety alerts affecting North American consumers in recent days. Earlier in the week, the FDA announced that General Mills was recalling more than 735,000 packages of Pillsbury bread products over concerns that the items may contain fragments of glass, a separate contamination issue unrelated to the Dollarama garlic powder recall but reflecting a similarly active period for food safety enforcement actions across the industry.

Separately, fresh produce supplier Taylor Farms has been preparing its own recall tied to ingredients connected to a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak, according to reporting from Bloomberg News. That outbreak, caused by a microscopic parasite rather than a bacterium, has been linked in earlier reporting to shredded iceberg lettuce distributed to select Taco Bell locations in several U.S. states. Taylor Farms has maintained that its own branded salad products are not associated with the reported illnesses, even as the company moves forward with a recall tied to the broader supply chain implicated in the outbreak investigation.

The CFIA has also recently announced a separate, unrelated recall affecting several spice products sold across Canada due to undeclared allergens, adding to what has become an unusually active stretch of food recalls spanning multiple product categories and health concerns in recent weeks.

For now, consumers who purchased the recalled Heavenly Spices Garlic Powder are being urged to check their pantries and discard any affected containers rather than risk consuming a product that may carry Bacillus cereus contamination. Health officials in Canada continue to monitor the situation, and further updates from the CFIA are expected if additional information about the scope of the contamination or any reported illnesses tied to the product becomes available in the coming days. The agency has encouraged members of the public to report any health or safety concerns related to the recalled product directly through its official reporting channels, and has noted that individuals can subscribe to receive email alerts for future recall and food safety notices as they are issued.

Argentina and Spain will meet Sunday in the 2026 World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium, a matchup that has drawn comparisons to a Hollywood script given its central storyline: 39-year-old Lionel Messi against 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, two generational left-footed playmakers separated by two decades but connected since the moment Messi was photographed cradling Yamal as an infant in 2007.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern time, with Fox broadcasting the match in English through FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports mobile app, and Telemundo carrying the Spanish-language broadcast, streaming through Peacock. Argentina enters as the reigning World Cup champion looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back-to-back titles, while Spain arrives as the reigning European champion, unbeaten in its last 14 matches across major tournaments, with 13 wins and a single draw during that stretch.

Messi has been the defining individual force of this tournament for Argentina, leading the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists heading into the final. His production has come despite a physical toll that has become increasingly visible as the tournament has progressed; by some tracking estimates, Messi has spent roughly two-thirds of his time on the field walking rather than running, a reflection of both his age and his continued ability to conserve energy for decisive moments. Argentina’s run to the final has leaned heavily on his late-game influence, most recently in Wednesday’s semifinal against England, when Messi set up both of Argentina’s stoppage-time goals to complete a dramatic 2-1 comeback.

Spain’s attack, meanwhile, runs primarily through Yamal, who plays on the right flank within manager Luis de la Fuente’s hybrid 4-2-3-1 setup. Yamal has continued playing a central role for Spain despite managing hamstring issues throughout the tournament’s later stages. He has received significant scoring support from striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who has netted five goals so far this summer, while winger Nico Williams, though limited by knocks of his own, remains a potential factor off the bench.

Spain’s midfield has emerged as arguably the most important unit on the pitch heading into the final. Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, has returned to peak form following a torn ACL and has at times appeared to control matches almost single-handedly through the middle of the park. Fabián Ruiz has stepped into the double pivot alongside Rodri in place of Pedri, a shift that has provided Spain with improved defensive balance without sacrificing its passing rhythm. Substitute Mikel Merino has also proven a decisive weapon off the bench, scoring two late winning goals during Spain’s run through the knockout stage, including box-crashing efforts against Portugal and Belgium.

The historical head-to-head record between Argentina and Spain reflects just how evenly matched the two nations have been over the years. The teams have met 14 times, with each side winning six matches and the remaining two ending level. Sunday’s final will mark the two countries’ first meeting on the World Cup’s biggest stage, though they are scheduled to meet again in a different high-profile setting: the Finalissima, a contest between the reigning European and South American champions, is set for March 27 at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, marking what would be the first-ever meeting between Messi and Yamal specifically, assuming both remain involved with their national teams through that point. Argentina enters that future fixture as the most successful nation in Finalissima history, having won two of the three previous editions, including a 2022 victory over Italy at Wembley Stadium in which Messi provided two assists.

For now, though, all attention centers on Sunday’s World Cup final and what it could mean for both players’ legacies. A win for Argentina would allow Messi to complete an extraordinarily rare feat: winning back-to-back World Cup titles at the tail end of a career already regarded as one of the greatest in the sport’s history, adding to a trophy case that includes eight Ballon d’Or awards. A win for Spain, conversely, would mark a symbolic passing of the torch, with Yamal, not yet 20 years old, potentially claiming his second major international title in as many years, following Spain’s Euro 2024 championship, in which Yamal contributed to a tournament run despite scoring just once himself.

Analysts previewing the match have framed the contest as a clash of styles as much as individual talent. Argentina’s path through this tournament has relied heavily on resilience, having needed extra time or late comebacks in multiple knockout matches, including wins over Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland before Wednesday’s dramatic victory over England. Spain, by contrast, has advanced largely through control and composure, dominating possession and limiting opposition chances across its unbeaten run through the tournament, including Tuesday’s 2-0 semifinal win over France in which Spain’s defense largely neutralized a star-studded French attack.

Winning any major international tournament requires a combination of elite talent, sharp coaching, sustained fitness across a demanding schedule and, often, a measure of fortune, according to analysis from Fox Sports previewing the final. Both Argentina and Spain have shown each of those qualities at various points throughout the tournament, setting up what many observers expect to be one of the more tightly contested finals in recent World Cup history.

Whichever side prevails Sunday, the match is expected to draw one of the largest global television audiences in World Cup history, driven in no small part by the Messi-Yamal storyline anchoring the broader team competition. For Messi, it likely represents his final opportunity to add to his World Cup legacy on the sport’s biggest stage. For Yamal, still early in a career already drawing comparisons to some of the game’s greatest players, it offers a chance to announce himself as soccer’s next dominant figure on the same field where his childhood connection to Messi began nearly two decades ago.

United Airlines customers began reporting widespread problems with the airline’s systems Saturday morning, according to outage-tracking service Downdetector, which noted a spike in user complaints beginning at 8:16 a.m. Eastern time.

Downdetector, a service that aggregates real-time user reports to identify potential service disruptions, flagged the surge in complaints on its social media account, prompting the hashtag #UnitedAirlinesDown to circulate on X as affected travelers shared their experiences. As of Saturday morning, specific details about the cause, scope and expected duration of the disruption had not been confirmed by United Airlines or federal aviation authorities.

United has faced a series of technology-related disruptions in recent years, ranging from brief, planned system maintenance windows to unplanned outages that have grounded flights and stranded passengers across the country. The airline’s core reservation platform, known as the SHARES system, has been at the center of several previous incidents. In one instance earlier this year, United proactively scheduled and publicized an overnight outage of its SHARES booking system as part of what the company described as a controlled restart intended to improve the platform’s long-term functionality and reliability. That planned outage, which ran for roughly two to three hours during low-demand overnight hours, took offline United’s website, mobile app, call centers, airport kiosks, travel agency booking channels and partner airline access, pausing new bookings, ticketing, cancellations, refunds and check-in services during the window, though already-airborne flights were allowed to continue operating.

Unplanned outages have proven more disruptive for United in the past, given their unpredictable timing and broader operational impact. In one prior incident, an hours-long computer system problem caused delays and cancellations for United flights globally, with passengers traveling late at night and into the early morning hours reporting delays as long as six hours before the airline confirmed the issue had been resolved. Flight-tracking services at the time recorded roughly 20 United flights delayed and seven canceled worldwide during the disruption. In a separate, earlier incident, a two-hour outage in one of United’s flight operations systems delayed roughly 250 mainline United flights, with the airline later saying it had corrected the underlying error and restored systemwide on-time performance to around 80% by that afternoon. United offered flexible flight-change and refund options to affected customers following that disruption.

Technology outages affecting major U.S. airlines have drawn increased scrutiny from federal regulators in recent years, particularly following high-profile disruptions across the industry. In one widely covered incident affecting a rival carrier, a “technology issue” prompted a ground stop at major hub airports, delaying travelers at multiple locations before the airline confirmed the issue had been resolved later that evening. Following that episode, the U.S. Transportation Secretary said he had been briefed directly by the airline’s chief executive on the situation, noting publicly that the issue was specific to the airline’s own internal operations and unrelated to the broader national air traffic control system. The Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration both offered support to help the airline clear its resulting flight backlog, with the FAA saying it remained in close contact with the carrier’s operations team throughout the disruption.

United has previously described its approach to handling technology disruptions as centered on transparency with both passengers and employees. Steve Restivo, the airline’s vice president of global corporate communications, has said the carrier learned early on, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, that the best course of action during operational disruptions was to remain as direct and open with employees and customers as possible, regardless of whether the underlying news was positive or negative.

Airlines more broadly have faced significant technology-driven disruptions in recent years beyond United specifically. A separate major carrier experienced a multi-day operational meltdown in the summer of 2024 following a global software outage tied to a third-party cybersecurity vendor, a disruption that led to the cancellation of more than 7,000 flights over five days and affected more than 1.3 million passengers. That incident drew a formal investigation from the Department of Transportation, which later classified the resulting delays and cancellations as a “controllable” event, placing responsibility for the disruption on the airline itself rather than treating it purely as an unavoidable external event.

As of Saturday morning, outage-tracking services offered a mixed picture of United’s system status heading into the reported disruption, with some monitoring platforms showing no significant issues in the days immediately prior to Saturday’s spike in complaints. That pattern is consistent with how sudden, unplanned technology outages typically develop, often emerging with little or no advance warning before affected systems are restored, sometimes within hours.

Passengers experiencing issues with United flights, bookings or check-in are typically advised to monitor the airline’s official channels, including its website and mobile app status updates, along with its social media accounts, for the most current information during an active disruption. United has historically offered flexible rebooking or refund options to customers affected by significant system outages, though the specific terms of any such accommodations depend on the scope and cause of each individual incident.

Given the early stage of Saturday morning’s reported disruption, the full scope of affected flights, airports and services remained unclear. United Airlines had not issued a public statement addressing the Downdetector reports as of the time of this article’s publication, and it remained uncertain whether the issue was confined to digital booking and account-management systems or extended to broader operational impacts such as flight delays, cancellations or ground stops at specific airports. Travelers with upcoming United flights were encouraged to check directly with the airline for the latest updates as the situation continued to develop.

Benny Blanco is once again taking to the open ocean rather than the skies to see his wife, Selena Gomez, embarking on an eight-day boat journey across the Atlantic ahead of her 34th birthday, a trip made necessary by the music producer’s well-documented fear of flying.

Blanco, 38, shared his unconventional travel plans in a TikTok video posted Thursday, July 16, showing himself aboard a boat somewhere out on the open water. Text overlaid on the clip read, “POV: ur traveling across the atlantic in the titanic to see ur wife bc ur scared of flying,” a playful nod to his ongoing aversion to air travel. Blanco paired the footage with Sam Cooke’s 1962 song “Nothing Can Change This Love” and captioned the post simply, “the things we do for love.”

Gomez, 33, has been based in London since May filming the sixth season of Hulu’s hit comedy “Only Murders in the Building,” alongside co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short. Her extended stay overseas has kept the couple largely apart in recent months, with the exception of a brief reunion in early July, when Blanco joined her in New York City for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden. Gomez turns 34 on July 22, and Blanco’s lengthy sea voyage is timed to ensure he can celebrate the milestone birthday with her in person despite the distance separating them for much of the summer.

Blanco’s fear of flying has become a well-established part of his public persona in recent years, one he has discussed openly across multiple interviews. Speaking with ELLE while literally driving cross-country from Los Angeles to New York earlier this year, Blanco did not mince words about his feelings toward air travel. “Oh my God, I hate it,” he said. “Terrifying. I’m in Dallas right now. I’m driving to New York from Los Angeles.” That kind of cross-country driving has become a regular routine for Blanco whenever Gomez’s filming schedule keeps her on the East Coast, allowing the couple to maintain their relationship despite his aversion to planes.

International travel presents a bigger logistical challenge, one Blanco has tackled by opting for extended sea voyages rather than transatlantic flights. During an appearance on the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast alongside Gomez, Blanco described his usual process for reaching Europe. “I take the boat to Europe,” he said. “Oh my God, it’s so long. It’s like first you have to drive to New York and then you get on a boat for eight days, and you’re on the Titanic.” Blanco has previously referenced taking a similar transatlantic boat trip with musician Ed Sheeran, during which the two worked together on Sheeran’s “Divide” album, underscoring that this latest journey is not the first time he has chosen the sea over the sky to reach the continent.

Gomez has spoken candidly about her husband’s fear of flying and what it means for their relationship when they are apart. Asked directly what Blanco is like on a flight during the same “On Purpose” interview, Gomez answered plainly, “He does not fly.” Blanco added that he has flown in the past, but not since the two began dating. Gomez went on to say she isn’t even sure she would want to fly alongside her husband given the intensity of his anxiety around air travel, explaining that she would spend the entire flight worried about him rather than relaxing, and describing it as clearly “a big fear of his.”

The couple, who married in September 2025, have discussed the challenges of maintaining a long-distance relationship during Gomez’s filming stints away from Los Angeles. Speaking on the “Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware” podcast, the two said they aim to see each other at least once every three weeks whenever work keeps them apart, a goal that has driven Blanco’s frequent cross-country drives and, when overseas filming is involved, his extended sea voyages. Gomez has described the arrangement as difficult but manageable, crediting mutual trust as central to making the long-distance stretches work. “The biggest thing in the world is trust,” Gomez has said. “I can say with all my heart that I trust this person.”

Gomez has continued documenting her time in London on social media throughout the filming process, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses from the “Only Murders in the Building” set, including photos alongside co-stars Martin Short and Meryl Streep, who joined the show’s cast this season. On June 10, Gomez posted a gallery of photos to her Instagram grid marking the couple’s time apart, writing in the caption that distance means little when someone means so much, tagging Blanco directly and noting that she missed him.

Blanco’s romantic, if unconventional, journey across the Atlantic has drawn widespread attention online, with fans and entertainment outlets alike highlighting the lengths he has gone to in order to be present for his wife’s birthday despite his flying anxiety. The trip continues a now-familiar pattern for the couple, in which Blanco’s aversion to air travel has repeatedly shaped how the two navigate time apart during Gomez’s demanding filming schedules, whether through long cross-country drives within the United States or multi-day sea crossings when international travel is required.

With Gomez’s birthday approaching on July 22 and filming for the new season of “Only Murders in the Building” continuing in London, Blanco’s eight-day voyage is expected to bring the couple back together just in time for the celebration, offering another example of what Blanco himself has repeatedly summed up in three simple words: the things we do for love.

Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” paid tribute to a former member of its Wizard crew during Friday’s episode, honoring Gregory Colburn, the nephew of longtime captain Keith Colburn, who died in May at the age of 32.

At the close of the July 17 episode, the network aired a dedication reading, “This episode is dedicated to Monte’s son Gregory Colburn, Wizard crewman 2018–2022,” accompanied by a video montage chronicling Gregory’s time aboard the vessel. Gregory, whose full name was Gregory Martin Urjevich Colburn, died on May 19 in Chico, California. According to a recap of the episode published by TV Insider, his death followed an unexpected motorcycle accident that month, though his family’s published obituary does not specify a cause of death and no official cause has been publicly confirmed.

Gregory served as a crewman aboard the F/V Wizard, the commercial crab fishing vessel captained by his uncle, Keith Colburn, from 2018 through 2022. Keith has appeared on “Deadliest Catch” since the show’s third season, which aired in 2007, making the Wizard and its crew a long-running fixture of the Discovery Channel series. Gregory’s father, Monte Colburn, serves as relief captain and mate aboard the Wizard, having worked alongside his brother Keith in the Bering Sea crab fishing industry for decades.

Born November 21, 1993, in Lakeview, Oregon, Gregory grew up in Kings Beach, California, on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, where he attended school from kindergarten through 12th grade within the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. Before finding his way to commercial fishing, he worked in restaurants around the North Lake Tahoe area. According to his obituary, Gregory eventually “found his calling fishing crab on the Bering Sea in Alaska,” a pursuit that connected him to generations of his family’s long history in the demanding commercial fishing industry.

His obituary describes a deep sense of pride in both his work at sea and his time on television. “Gregory was proud of his time at sea and of being on The Discovery Channel reality show Deadliest Catch,” the obituary reads. Viewers who followed his appearances on the series came to know him for his dedication and resilience navigating one of the most physically demanding professions in the country, often cited as among the most dangerous jobs in America due to the harsh conditions of Bering Sea crab fishing.

Between fishing seasons, Gregory made his home in Chico, California, where he met his fiancée, Caitlin Nenadal. The couple became engaged, and according to his obituary, Gregory “lived for Caitlin, to whom he was engaged, and for riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.” Those who knew him remembered him for the warmth he brought to his relationships both on and off the boat. “Gregory had a heart of gold which shone through his eyes and his smile; his kind heart was rivaled only by his loyalty to his family and friends,” his obituary states. “Gregory impacted all whose lives he touched and he will be sorely missed.”

Gregory is survived by his fiancée, Caitlin Nenadal; his daughter, Scarlette Colburn; his parents, Catherine and Monte Colburn; his grandfather, Martin Urjevich; five siblings; and a wide circle of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. His family has not publicly disclosed additional details surrounding the circumstances of his death and has asked for privacy as they continue to grieve.

The tribute aired during an episode that also captured a tense moment for the Wizard crew, as the show documented a life-threatening incident in which a crew member fell overboard amid severe weather and 22-foot seas. According to the episode, the crew managed to complete a successful rescue without serious injury, with Keith Colburn reflecting afterward on how close the situation had come to a far worse outcome. The crew then returned to work, hauling in a full quota of crab despite the dangerous conditions, before the episode closed with the dedication to Gregory.

Gregory’s death adds to a series of losses the “Deadliest Catch” community has experienced over the show’s nearly two-decade run. The series has previously paid tribute to other crew members and captains who have died, including longtime captain Phil Harris, who died in 2010 following a stroke, and deckhand Todd Meadows, whose death was similarly honored on the show earlier this year with a posthumous appearance and tribute alongside his children. The recurring losses reflect both the physical risks inherent to commercial fishing in the Bering Sea and the close-knit nature of the fishing families the show has followed since its debut.

“Deadliest Catch” airs Fridays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time on Discovery Channel, continuing to follow multiple fishing vessels and their crews as they navigate the Bering Sea’s crab fishing seasons, an industry the show has documented for nearly 20 years. The Wizard, under Keith Colburn’s command, remains one of the program’s central vessels, with Monte Colburn continuing to serve alongside his brother in the years since Gregory’s departure from the crew in 2022.

Fans of the series took to social media following Friday’s broadcast to share their condolences after learning of Gregory’s death, with many recalling his presence on the show during his four seasons aboard the Wizard. The tribute marked one of the more emotional moments of the current season, offering viewers a chance to remember a young man whose family’s connection to Bering Sea crab fishing spans multiple generations, and whose own passion for life at sea became a defining part of his identity both on camera and off.

The White House has defended Argentina’s football players after they displayed a banner asserting the country’s claim to the Falkland Islands following their World Cup semifinal victory over England, setting up a diplomatic disagreement with the United Kingdom just days before Argentina’s championship match against Spain.

Following Argentina’s 2-1 win in a tense semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday, several players held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” using Argentina’s own term for the disputed South Atlantic islands. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer supported calls Friday for FIFA to investigate the display and appeared to voice support for Spain ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.

Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s FIFA taskforce, pushed back against criticism of the banner, framing the players’ actions as a matter of free expression protected under the U.S. Constitution. “We believe in our first amendment rights here in the United States of America,” Giuliani said, adding that Argentina’s players would have the “opportunity to be able to make statements” while competing in the U.S.

The disagreement arrives at a delicate moment for British politics, with Andy Burnham set to take over as prime minister on Monday. England and Argentina are separately scheduled to face off in rugby’s Nations Championship on Saturday in Argentina, a fixture where England players have reportedly threatened to walk off the field if any of their teammates are subjected to racist abuse.

Starmer’s spokesperson addressed the banner controversy directly on Thursday, reaffirming Britain’s longstanding position on the islands’ sovereignty. “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our position is unchanged. Self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver,” the spokesperson said, adding that “potential action is a matter for FIFA, but it’s been a fantastic World Cup and we’ve said throughout that politics should stay out of football.” The spokesperson also passed along Starmer’s good wishes to both finalists, adding pointedly, “especially Spain.”

Business Secretary Peter Kyle offered a sharper assessment of the incident earlier Thursday, telling the BBC that the banner represented “an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football.” Kyle added, “The World Cup has [as] one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football. That is now a matter for FIFA. I expect FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly.” Starmer’s spokesperson confirmed the prime minister endorsed Kyle’s remarks urging FIFA to open a formal investigation.

FIFA has confirmed it is reviewing the incident through its standard disciplinary process. In a statement, the organization said, “As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee is assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA disciplinary code.” No timeline has been given for when that review might conclude or what sanctions, if any, might follow.

The episode is not without precedent within international football’s governing bodies. In 2024, Spain players Rodri and Álvaro Morata were suspended for one match by UEFA after chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” during celebrations in Madrid following Spain’s win over England in the Euros final, a separate territorial dispute between Spain and Britain over the peninsula at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

Wednesday’s semifinal had been anticipated as a potential flashpoint for tensions between Argentina and England well before kickoff, given the countries’ shared history tied to the Falklands. More than 900 people were killed during the 1982 war that erupted after Argentina invaded the islands, a conflict that ended with British forces retaining control of the territory, which remains a British Overseas Territory to this day.

The banner controversy follows a separate diplomatic dispute that emerged earlier this month, when Argentina complained that a Royal Navy vessel, HMS Medway, had passed through what it considers its national waters without permission while sailing from the Falklands to Chile. Starmer’s spokesperson rejected that characterization, saying Britain had notified the Argentine government in advance of the voyage. “We notified the Argentinian government in advance of HMS Medway undertaking a routine logistics visit to Chile between 5 and 8 July to support British Antarctic Survey operations, which will deliver essential stores and supplies to sustain scientific research in Antarctica,” the spokesperson said. “The Royal Navy always operates in full compliance with international law and the transit from the Falkland Islands to Chile was carried out via the most direct practicable route, considering operational safety and weather factors to ensure timely delivery.”

The Falkland Islands government issued its own statement responding to the banner display, expressing disappointment though not surprise at the players’ actions. The government said it was “disappointed – though regrettably not surprised” that Argentina’s footballers had “decided to tarnish” the semifinal, describing it as “a game that did not in any case involve the Falkland Islands.” The statement continued: “That said, it is hardly news to anyone that the people of the islands were victims of an aggressive invasion in 1982, which left many traumatised. The banner displayed by Argentina last night, therefore, was particularly insensitive for many people in the Falklands … We hope FIFA will make good on their promise to keep politics out of sport and sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules.”

The controversy adds a geopolitical subplot to a World Cup final already carrying significant weight on the pitch, with Argentina seeking to become the first nation in more than six decades to win consecutive World Cup titles when it faces Spain on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium. Whether FIFA ultimately issues any formal sanction against the Argentine Football Association over the banner display remains uncertain, though the governing body’s past handling of similar politically charged celebrations, including the 2024 UEFA suspensions of Rodri and Morata, suggests some form of disciplinary response is possible in the days following the tournament’s conclusion.

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