US federal investigators have seized the Argentina national team’s plane at New York’s JFK airport and opened a sweeping money‐laundering probe into the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and its president, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, over more than $300m in commercial deals routed through the American banking system.
The investigation, led by FBI agents and US federal prosecutors, is examining hundreds of millions of dollars linked to AFA’s international sponsorships, friendly matches and commercial rights since the 2022 World Cup – and potentially up to the 2030 tournament.
According to major Argentine outlet Infobae, the aircraft used by the world champions was held at JFK so that US authorities could confiscate property belonging to senior AFA officials, including Tapia and AFA treasurer Pablo Toviggino. Both men are under investigation alongside businessmen Diego Lucero and Javier Varoni on suspicion of fraud and embezzlement.
US officials are said to be focusing in particular on “tens of millions” of dollars whose final destination is not clear from the banking records they have reviewed.
US court issues summons in ‘AFA scandal’ case
In what Argentine media are calling a new chapter in “the biggest corruption case in the country”, US authorities have moved against Tapia and his associates through the courts.
Officials linked to the AFA have been summoned to appear before the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 30 July, as part of proceedings informally dubbed the “Argentine Football Association scandal”.
They have been ordered to provide all available information on a Florida‐registered shell company that investigators believe has been used as the main vehicle to launder and move money derived from AFA sponsorship contracts signed from the last World Cup through to the 2030 edition.
The company is estimated to have captured 30% of the AFA’s total commercial revenue over that period.
Infobae reports that the probe, which led to the seizure of phones and electronic devices, “began to take shape during the World Cup”, when Tapia and AFA leaders were travelling with the national team in the United States. During that time, FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors began reconstructing transactions processed through the financial structure used to manage AFA’s international commercial contracts – operations said to exceed $300m.
Florida company at centre of alleged money flows
At the core of the US case is TourProdEnter LLC, a limited liability company created by businessman Javier Varoni and his wife, Erica Gillette. The company, Infobae says, was designated by an explicit decision of Tapia as the AFA’s “exclusive agent” to collect:
– international contracts of the Argentine Football Association
– income from sponsors and commercial rights
– revenue from friendly matches and “other businesses linked to the Argentina national team”
In return, TourProdEnter was authorised to receive commissions “for its involvement and for the logistics of the operations”.
Investigators, drawing on multiple banking documents, say AFA income was dispersed across numerous accounts. Around $14m from contracts in Asia, Europe and the Gulf reportedly passed through a single account, with funds remaining there only between 24 and 72 hours before being transferred elsewhere.
According to the reporting, none of the sums under scrutiny by the US Department of Justice was disclosed in the AFA’s own financial statements. The case is being examined alongside other alleged irregularities, including the seizure late last year of more than 50 luxury cars and a property in Villa Rosa valued at over $20m, registered in the name of a front man said to be linked to Tapia.
Tapia camp and AFA issue firm denials
Sources close to the AFA president have rejected the accusations as “false” and “baseless”, despite the ongoing legal actions.
Mariano Lizardo, Tapia’s lawyer, told Argentine daily La Nacion: “لقد تحدثت معه للتو، ولم يحدث ذلك”.
In a statement to the media, the AFA sought to rebut key elements of the US case and subsequent reporting.
“In light of media reports, the Argentine Football Association considers it necessary to provide the following clarification: the document referred to in various publications does not constitute a summons addressed to the president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, nor to the treasurer of the institution, Pablo Toviggino,” the statement read.
It continued: “ان امر الاستدعاء الصادر عن محكمة الولايات المتحدة للمنطقة الجنوبية من فلوريدا موجه الى طرف ثالث، وهو مطالب بالمثول امام هيية محلفين كبرى وتقديم الوثايق والمراسلات المتعلقة بافراد مختلفين، بما في ذلك سلطات هذه الجمعية”.
The AFA added: “لا تنص الوثيقة المذكورة على اي اجراءات شخصية ضد رييس الاتحاد او امين صندوقه، ولا تامر بمثولهما امام المحكمة، ولا تفرض عليهما اي التزام اجرايي، ولا تسجل اي حجز او مصادرة لممتلكاتهما. ان نشر معلومات غير دقيقة او محرفة عمدا يولد معلومات مضللة خطيرة ويوثر بشكل غير مبرر على شرف وسمعة الافراد والموسسات”.
Match-fixing rumours seen as ‘smokescreen’
The revelations come amid a swirl of speculation in Argentina following a recent final involving the national team.
Conspiracy theories and allegations of possible match manipulation, heavily circulated in the Argentine media after the game, are now being portrayed by some outlets as a “screen” that has distracted attention from what they describe as the AFA’s real scandal – the sprawling US‐led financial investigation engulfing the country’s world‐champion federation.
