SHOCK DIG: Jeremy Clarkson takes brutal Argentina Top Gear swipe ahead of World Cup clash
Jeremy Clarkson made a post and took swipe at Argentina (Image: Getty)
Jeremy Clarkson has taken a swipe at Argentina ahead of the World Cup semi-final against England, and fans were reminded of the infamous controversy in the 2014 Top Gear show. On Wednesday in Atlanta, Lionel Messi will be playing against England for the first time in his career as the defending world champions bid to stop Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions ending 60 years of hurt.
The TV presenter, who recently announced he is in remission after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2025, took to social media on Sunday to rattle off a cheeky swipe at Argentina. He tweeted: “It was hard to dislike our opponents last night. On Wednesday, however…”
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The post prompted huge reactions online, with 128,000 likes and 1,500 comments. Fans were quick to realise Jeremy’s intention and said it revived their memory of the Argentina controversy when Jeremy hosted Top Gear along with Richard Hammond and James May.
Lionel Messi will face England for the first time on Wednesday (Image: Getty)
The controversy centred on the numbers plates the crew used when they entered Argentina with a car that said “H982 FKL”, which appeared to be a reference to the Falklands War. Jeremy said in the 2014 programme: “The head veteran accused us of putting a fake number plate on the Porsche, that was a deliberate reference to the Falklands War. Our producers tried to explain it wasn’t fake, and that it would be replaced for the game of football, but they got nowhere.”
Later, the Top Gear crew had to be escorted out of the country by police and into Chile.
One fan commented: “The peaceful truce is officially over. Things are about to get incredibly toxic.” A second said: “What bad blood could there be between you and Argentina, either nationally or personally?”
A third added: “Need a football shirt with this on…. H982 FKL.”
However, fans are reminded that there’s a stadium code of conduct for the World Cup, it is not allowed to have any materials of a “political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature”, including apparel, banners, flags and flyers containing wording or symbols aimed at discrimination of any kind.
That means people wearing a top with H982 FKL would be deemed offensive, and Donald Trump fans could also be denied entry if they were seen wearing a MAGA cap or patriotic slogans.
