Lionel Scaloni had a clear message before one of football's most charged matches: politics stays off the pitch. The Argentina manager, who led his country to World Cup glory in Qatar four years ago, refused to blend the beautiful game with historical tensions when his team faces England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
"This is a football match. I can't mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago," Scaloni said. "It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn't much we can do about it."
The rivalry between England and Argentina runs deeper than sport. The two nations fought the Falklands War in 1982 — a 74-day conflict that claimed 649 Argentine soldiers, 255 British combatants, and 3 civilians. The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas, remain a sovereignty dispute between the countries. But Scaloni, speaking with evident care, said he wanted no part of turning Wednesday's semi-final into something more.
"We criticise the existence of war," he said. "We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match; we shouldn't confuse the two."
Wednesday's match at Atlanta Stadium carries enormous stakes. England is chasing its first World Cup final since 1966, while Argentina, the three-time champions, have survived their knockout games the hard way. They beat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic last-16 thriller, then needed extra time to defeat Cape Verde in the round of 32 and Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Much of Argentina's path has run through Lionel Messi. The 39-year-old forward has been spectacular, scoring eight goals — tied with France striker Kylian Mbappé as the tournament's top scorer. Against England, Messi will face the Three Lions for the first time in his storied career. But Scaloni isn't obsessing over his captain alone. He's been preparing his squad to handle England stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, both of whom have found the net six times in the tournament.
"They are two great players, among the best in the world. Any coach would like to have them," Scaloni said.
Despite Argentina's uneven form, Scaloni said he couldn't complain about reaching the semi-finals. "A month-and-a-half ago I would have taken getting to the semi-final if you had offered me that, so I don't mind how we got here." His focus now is simple: respect the past, but let the football speak.