A schoolteacher in Buenos Aires, Fernando Romero, was cooking his breakfast when the lines gushed out of his mind: “I was born in Argentina, land of Diego and Lionel, Of the kids from Malvinas, which I will never forget.” He set the lyrics to the background score of a popular song Muchachos, composed by the reggae and punk nine-piece band La Mosca Tsé-Tsé at the stroke of the century.What Argentines refer to as Islas Malvinas and claim sovereignty over, are the Falkland Islands – a self-governing British Overseas Territory now, but also the cause of the 10-week war in 1982.Little did Romero then know that, in December 2020, a week after Maradona’s death, his song would become his country’s sporting anthem, rendered passionately by the fans in stadia, players in the locker room and by masses in the streets.Romero was not the first one to adapt the song which meant “Boys, we will get drunk”; several adaptations could be heard during club games in most stadia around Buenos Aires. But this became the most iconic one, and the band, which was disbanded several years ago, reunited to re-record the song with Romero’s lyrics.ALSO READ | England chase redemption: not just a trophy, but a release from tragic fatesHe wanted to sing during a World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Bolivia inside Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. But he couldn’t procure tickets. He and his friends started singing the song outside the arena, which a local television crew captured and the original band members happened to watch and later re-recorded.The band won the equivalent of a national award and Romero was invited to sing this song to an audience that included Lionel Messi. His only regret, he told Argentina media outlet EFE, he could not take a picture with Messi.Story continues below this adIn the streets, people stop him and thank him. “They’ve told me that I did more for them with the song than the last 40 years of democracy,” he told EFE. For this edition he tweaked the chorus again to suit the context. “I want to win the third one, I want to be a world champion again.” Messi, though prefers his original one penned for the 2022 World Cup. The song still resonates with the fans, and most of them have internalised the lines, and hum it in public spaces.In fan zones, parks, supermarkets and airports, flooded with Argentinians for the semi-final against England on Wednesday, fans have the song on the tip of their tongues. In the corner of Atlanta airport, Lorenzo Alberto was watching a reel his friend had sent him from Argentina’s round-of-16 bout against Egypt a few days ago in the city. He was waiting for his flight to Kansas for the quarterfinal. He briskly took his ear phones out and said: “You should watch this without the earphones, and you feel you are in the stands again.” He then recited almost the full chorus of MuchachosHe explained its connection among the fans: “It fills us with energy and belief. It’s something of an identity,” he said, raising the volume, to the ire of a security guard’s piercing glance. He doesn’t stop, and she doesn’t care. “Even if you are the only man in the stadium, or if I happen to be amidst non-Argentina fans, I will sing it. Even if it’s the English fans,” he says.But the reference of the Falklands War, or Malvina War as the Argentines say, wooed controversy after videos of Argentina footballers singing Muchachos in the dressing room. The victory over Switzerland ensured a contest between football’s bitterest rivalry for the first time in a competitive game since 2005. But the FIFA decided not to impose any sanction, even though they insist on taking stringent action against “political expression within stadiums.”Story continues below this adALSO READ | England vs Argentina: A rivalry forged by war, on-field spats and history of consForty four years have passed since the war that cost 9,000 lives, for the archipelago in South Atlantic. The angst might have faded, but old timers still nurse it. Says John Byers, from Birmingham, who has watched every World Cup since 1994, from the stands: “What happened to the war? They captured it and we took it back a few days later. The people were happy and it was totally needless intrusion. It’s like how Argentina has always defeated us. By cheating!”“It must have happened long ago, but not forgotten. We can’t keep politics away from this game,” he adds.Politicians have fanned up the rivalry, too. Ministers of both nations exchanged verbal ammunition. After the semifinal run-in was finalised, Argentina’s foreign minister Pablo Quirno claimed the 2013 referendum in the Falklands “was artificially implanted by the occupying power.” As much as 99.8% of the population said they were happy with British governance. But Quirno wrote in La Nacion: “Time does not transform an illegitimate occupation into sovereignty. Nor will it divide the territorial unity of the Argentine Republic,” he wrote.Story continues below this adDowning Street promptly retorted on Monday. “The UK’s position is clear. The islanders have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory, and their right to self-determination is paramount,” the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said in a statement.Often vilified as provocateurs, Argentina’s fans are desperate to shake off the image. “We are not for anything violent. We will celebrate, but we won’t hurt, even though the atmosphere could be tense,” says Marco Allan, who has flown with his son Benjamin for the game.Social media is also replete with sections of Argentina fans cheekily appropriating a Spanish Wonderwall.But it is the Muchachos, he says, that would drown out any other noise in the arena, where 30,000 English fans are expected to be among the audience, armed with their song. “It’s time we avenged for the Hand of God, maybe we should pay them back in the same coin,” says Byers. A place in the final awaits the winner, but it’s that well-worn cliche. The match is more than just a game.