RMC Sport reports Valentina Fernandez had faced criticism at home in Argentina after urging the couple's children to respect the country in which the family currently lives.
The Chelsea midfielder attempted to defend his wife's original comments but his choice of words drew scrutiny of its own in the days that followed.
"My wife's comments weren't ill-intentioned. We respect the people who help us at home, who are English people," Fernandez said. The phrasing was widely viewed as clumsy, landing at a moment when tensions around the semi-final had already been heightened by references to the Falklands conflict in the build-up to the match.
The episode adds another layer to what was already a highly charged occasion between the two nations. FIFA has since opened proceedings after several Argentina players were seen holding a political banner on the pitch at the final whistle, with the governing body examining the incident as part of its usual disciplinary processes surrounding the tournament.
Neither FIFA nor the Argentine federation has yet commented publicly on the likely outcome of that process.
Argentina's win over England sent them through to Sunday's World Cup final against Spain, but the build-up to the last four clash and its aftermath have been overshadowed by controversies extending well beyond the pitch. References to the Falklands conflict had already coloured coverage of the fixture in both countries before kick-off, adding an extra layer of sensitivity to any comments made by players or their families in the days that followed.
Fernandez, one of the more prominent voices in the Argentina squad, now finds himself at the centre of a debate that shows little sign of dying down as the tournament reaches its climax this weekend, with attention now turning to how the build-up to the final itself will be handled by both camps.