Tournament in Argentina still named after naval warship

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Argentine soccer officials are still calling their current competition the "Cruiser General Belgrano" tournament even though FIFA said the name might carry prohibited political overtones.

The Argentine Football Association has not offered an official reaction, but its website on Wednesday used the term "Torneo Crucero General Belgrano" when referring to matches.

FIFA asked last week why the league competition was being named after a naval ship sunk by British forces during the Falkland Islands conflict 30 years ago. The anniversary of the start of the war is April 2.

In a statement this week, FIFA pointed out its rules prohibiting discrimination against countries for political reasons.

The newspaper La Nacion said AFA's executive committee officially approved the name in a meeting late Tuesday. The newspaper said AFA had decided to send a written statement to FIFA to explain its decision.

Naming the competition for the sunken warship was proposed by the government of President Cristina Kirchner, which owns the rights to all first- and second-division matches and broadcasts them on state television in a program called "Football for All."

Advertising time during the matches is often used to promote the accomplishments of the Argentine government, which says the islands it calls "Las Islas Malvinas" belong to Argentina.

The dispute over the islands dates back centuries, and the issue of the British dependency in the South Atlantic is again at the forefront with an emotional anniversary looming.

More than 900 Britons and Argentines died in the conflict.

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