If you are wondering whether Argentine Vice President Victoria Villaruel was over the Falklands War, you can save yourself the suspense; she is not.
In a blistering attack on her country’s former opponent in the bitter war over the Falkland Islands, and their current opponent in the World Cup semi-final match on Wednesday, Villaruel branded the English “usurping pirates” and “invaders.”
“Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates,” the Argentine VP wrote on social media. “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 (Falkland Islands), 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!”
Villaruel was only seven when her country invaded the Falkland Islands on the orders of the ruling military junta seeking to restore national pride and distract from the dysfunctional economic and political chaos at home.
However, she does have a personal stake in the affair, given that her father was one of the Argentine soldiers sent to seize the islands.
Her recent bellicose language toward the Brits is the rule, not the exception.
Months ago, she branded the Falklands’ inhabitants as “English people who live in Argentine territory” and said they “are not part of the discussion” on the territory’s future, GB News reports.
She added, “If they feel English, they should go back to the thousands of miles away where their country is.”
A far more conciliatory tone was adopted by Argentine captain and national hero Lionel Messi, who spoke out against those attempting to mix sports with politics.
“It’s a football match – I can’t mix things up, out of respect for what happened so many years ago.
“It was a very sad time in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it. Mixing the two would be madness. We criticize that there was war.”
England takes on Argentina at 4 PM EST for the right to face Spain in the World Cup final.