Voz media US Voz.us
Apple store Voz-media Play store Voz Media

The FBI and the DOJ are investigating the AFA’s financial operations in the US in the midst of the World Cup

The investigation focuses on Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia and Pablo Toviggino, the AFA's president and secretary-general and treasurer, respectively, and their management of the organization and TourProdEnter LLC, producer Javier Faroni's company that handled commercial contract collections.

Claudio Chiqui Tapia, president of the AFA, during an Argentina match

Claudio Chiqui Tapia, president of the AFA, during an Argentina matchAFP

Israel Duro
Published by
Israel Duro

While Messi continues to shine with Argentina on the field, things aren’t going as well behind the scenes for his country’s soccer federation. The FBI and the Department of Justice have begun investigating financial transactions linked to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in the United States, amid suspicions that hundreds of millions of dollars may have been laundered or used fraudulently.

The news was first reported by the newspaper La Nación, which noted that federal prosecutors from Florida and Washington, D.C., have been analyzing transactions since 2025 that could constitute a crime in the United States.

AFA president and treasurer: Main targets of the investigation

The investigations focus on the management of Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia and Pablo Toviggino, the AFA's president and secretary-general and treasurer, respectively, who headed both the organization and TourProdEnter LLC, the company owned by producer Javier Faroni that handled the collection of commercial contracts.

Investigators are also considering meeting with former officials from Javier Milei’s administration who had access to sensitive information about the AFA or oversaw its operations in recent years.

AFA: Investigations “do not determine liability or guilt”

The AFA ambassador to North America, Tomás Regalado, and criminal defense attorney Mariano Lizardo called for respect for the presumption of innocence of the organization and its leaders during a forum in Miami in which they participated.

"Investigative measures alone do not establish liability or guilt," Regalado noted.

$260 million under scrutiny

According to previously investigated documentation, to which La Nación has had access, TourProdEnter LLC moved hundreds of millions of dollars through accounts at Citibank, Synovus, Bank of America, JP Morgan and PNC Bank.

“TourProdEnter LLC managed at least US$260 million in AFA revenue, although—according to bank records analyzed by ‘LA NACION’—only a portion of those funds can be directly linked to identifiable operating expenses of the organization chaired by Tapia. Another US$57 million was distributed among various companies and beneficiaries for whom no economic justification is evident in the documentation obtained by this newspaper."

Among the most striking transfers are payments to companies controlled by individuals receiving social welfare benefits in Argentina. Additionally, there are payments to companies with ties to Toviggino’s family, such as SOMA SRL and Cabello SRL.

The AFA, an old acquaintance of US authorities

As noted by La Nación, this is not the first time that Argentine soccer’s governing body has been in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities. In September 2024, the Ministry of Security, then headed by Patricia Bullrich, shared information with U.S. officials regarding potential risk areas linked to the sports organization.

“At that time, FBI agents concluded that the conflict between businessman Guillermo Tofoni —who was recently questioned virtually by federal prosecutors—Tapia, and the AFA did not present sufficient evidence to justify opening a criminal investigation in the United States. That situation began to change after LA NACION revealed, starting in late December, a network of financial, banking, and corporate operations centered in the state of Florida.”

Recommendation

tracking