ITV's Ian Wright has caused controversy with Falklands War veterans because of his comments on-air about the 2026 World Cup semi-final between Argentina and England

Falklands War veterans have called out comparisons between England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina and the 10-week conflict between the two countries in 1982. Ian Wright has said on ITV that the match will be a "real attritional war" and disagreed with Thomas Tuchel, who said "it's just a game" and claimed "it's going to be more than that".

The two nations are playing for the first time in two decades. Since the mid-2000s, diplomatic relations have become increasingly strained.

Argentina's squad have sung about playing "for the Malvinas ". Rodrigo De Paul, however, claimed the chants are not about politics.

Peter Robinson, a Falklands veteran who served in 40 Commando, told The Telegraph : "Sport should be sport. Conflicts are conflicts. Never should the two meet. It's absolutely not a battlefield."

Simon Weston, one of the 775 British soldiers wounded in the South Atlantic, also told the same publication: "Some people describe a footballer as a hero on the field, but that's completely misusing the language. They're footballers.

"It's hardly like they're risking their lives on the pitch. It's nothing like a battlefield. This is a sporting fixture and has no bearing or relevance to what happened 44 years ago."

Their stance contrasts considerably with that of Wright. He has said on ITV of Argentina: "It's a country that, as time's gone by, I've learnt a lot about them, and I have no love for them. Obviously, [Diego] Maradona's somebody that's done some amazing things I've seen.

"It's a team that we have to beat, and it's going to be a tough one; it's going to be a real tough one, a real attritional war we're going into, and we have to recognise that.

"I've heard Thomas Tuchel saying it's just a game. It's not just a game, and they'll realise it's not just a game. It's going to be more than that when they play."

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Tuchel said of the history during his pre-match press conference: "I would say it's irrelevant, but I'm not sure about it.

"I think the players are very aware of both countries, what it means to them. If a fixture provides so many iconic moments, I think you cannot just say it's just another football match.

"But as a coach, we do exactly that: focus on what we can influence. We don't actually speak about the historic ⁠events. We don't speak about the iconic moments. It's in itself iconic enough, and attention is big enough."

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