The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a preliminary investigation into the Argentine Football Association and its president, Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia, to determine whether millions of dollars in transactions carried out through American banks violated regulations.
According to the Argentine newspaper La Nación on Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has begun interviewing individuals with knowledge of the AFA’s finances.
This is reportedly part of the DOJ’s probe, which began in 2025, to determine whether a series of transactions totalling over $300 million conducted by the AFA under Mr Tapia constitutes money laundering or fraud under American law.
It was reported that the investigation is centred on how the AFA structured its international commercial agreements and their connection to TourProdEnter LLC, a company that handles AFA’s sponsorship and financial dealings under U.S. jurisdiction.
“TourProdEnter LLC managed at least $260 million in revenue from the AFA, although—according to bank records analysed by LA NACION—only a portion of these funds can be directly linked to identifiable operating expenses of the organisation headed by Tapia.
“Another $57 million was distributed among various companies and beneficiaries whose economic justification is not apparent from the documentation reviewed by this newspaper,” La Nacion reported.
The FBI allegedly interviewed businessman Guillermo Tofoni as a witness for more than three hours last week, and U.S. prosecutors are still planning to speak to former government officials in Argentina who may have had knowledge of the operations inside the AFA.
Reported that the transactions under investigation were conducted through Citibank, Bank of America, and JPMorgan. It was also alleged that payments were made to companies connected to Pablo Toviggino, the AFA treasurer, and to family members.
Addressing the case, Tomas Regalado, an ambassador for the AFA in North America, said, “Investigative measures alone do not determine responsibility or guilt.”
