How a political chant became Argentina’s terrace anthem | OneFootball

Born on the streets during the Falklands War, a simple terrace refrain now soundtracks Argentina’s players and fans. It grows louder when England are the opponents, as in Wednesday’s 21:00 World Cup semi-final.

In match-eve banderazos and outside grounds, music drives Albiceleste ritual. According to L'Équipe, alongside odes to Maradona and digs at Brazil, the staple is the Spanish chant "El que no salta es un inglés".

Despite popular belief, it did not spring from the 1986 quarter-final. Argentina’s Education Ministry papers, supported by witnesses, trace it to spring 1982 with a strictly political meaning.

In early April, thousands filled the Plaza de Mayo to back troops against Britain. The junta let it happen days after crushing an anti-dictatorship protest on the same square, where mothers of the disappeared met each Thursday.

From there it entered the national songbook, used even without England on the pitch, and fervour peaks when they are. Lionel Messi and team-mates led it at Wembley after beating Italy 3-0 in the 2022 Finalissima, then again on Saturday after a 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland in Kansas City, while its simple formula has since been adapted elsewhere, including by France.

Source: L'Équipe