Atlanta police on high alert as England face Argentina in World Cup semifinal

As England and Argentina prepare to face off Wednesday (4 a.m. Thursday Korean Standard Time) for a place in the World Cup final, Atlanta police have gone on high alert. Given the two nations' history — they once fought a real war, and their rivalry on the football pitch has been defined by one of the sport's most notorious controversies — the match is widely seen as a war without gunfire, far exceeding the bounds of ordinary sport.

The Atlanta Police Department issued a statement Tuesday (local time) saying it had "enhanced public safety and security posture citywide," with additional personnel and resources deployed and set to remain "strategically positioned in and around event venues, entertainment districts and other high-traffic areas." The department said the measures were "designed to protect the public, deter criminal activity and ensure that residents and visitors can safely enjoy this historic event," pledging to maintain order throughout the semifinal.

Part of why Atlanta police are taking particular care with security is that the two teams on the pitch are not just historic adversaries but the most famous rivals in international football: England and Argentina.

The two countries went to war over the Falkland Islands. Britain has exercised effective control over the archipelago since 1833, but Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the territory — which it calls "Las Malvinas" — citing geographic proximity and historical ties.

The conflict erupted in 1982 when Argentina's military junta, facing severe economic hardship and political crisis, launched a surprise invasion of the islands to redirect public discontent. Argentina calculated that the islands' distance of some 13,000 kilometers from mainland Britain would make an immediate counterattack difficult. But then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher swiftly dispatched a large naval task force and fighter jets, and after fierce fighting, Argentina — outmatched militarily — surrendered after 74 days.

Britain won the war, but the bitterness has never fully faded. Argentina still enshrines its claim to the territory in its constitution and continues to demand its return. Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Kircno recently wrote in the newspaper La Nacion that "the passage of time does not turn illegal occupation into sovereignty," accusing Britain of continuing to illegally occupy Las Malvinas. In response, the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement Tuesday (local time) saying the islanders are "British people with the right to determine their own future," adding that they "have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain British and their right to self-determination is paramount" — a firm reaffirmation that the Falklands are British territory.

In football history, Argentina is also England's most bitter rival. In the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal in Mexico, with memories of the Falklands War still fresh, the two sides met again — and Diego Maradona's winning goal was dogged by allegations of handball. Maradona claimed it was scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God," but in his 2002 autobiography he acknowledged it was a handball. For England, it was a victory stolen by a foul.

England fans are all the more eager for revenge this time given that Argentina captain Lionel Messi is widely regarded as Maradona's heir — and someone Maradona treated like an adopted son, having worked alongside him as a player during Maradona's tenure as national team manager.

The intense passion both nations bring to football — and the disorder that can follow matches — is another factor keeping Atlanta police on edge. England's football hooligans are a recurring problem at international tournaments. On Saturday, after England came from behind to beat Norway, more than 500 incidents of fan disorder were reported across Britain and