Financial Scandal Hits Argentine Football Association

U.S. authorities have initiated investigations into the financial operations of the Argentine Football Association within the United States, amid suspicions of fraud and money laundering, coinciding with the 2026 World Cup preparations.

Argentinian newspaper "La Nacion" reported that federal prosecutors and agents from the FBI have begun hearing testimonies from several witnesses to understand how the Argentine Football Association, led by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, manages its financial operations in the U.S. and how hundreds of millions of dollars are transferred through the American financial system, as well as whether some of these transactions constitute violations under U.S. jurisdiction.

The newspaper added that one of the key testimonies came from businessman Guillermo Tofoni, who provided a three-hour video testimony in the presence of a prosecutor and FBI agents in Washington and Miami. The investigations focus on the management of Tapia and Pablo Toviggino at the Argentine Football Association, alongside TourProdEnter LLC, a company owned by producer Javier Faroni, responsible for managing commercial contract collections.

La Nacion noted that investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice are also considering summoning former officials from Javier Milei's government who had information related to the operations of the Argentine Football Association or participated in monitoring and overseeing them in recent years, confirming that preliminary investigations began in 2025.

The newspaper clarified that documents reviewed show that Javier Faroni and his wife, Erika Gillet, conducted financial transactions amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars through accounts in several American banks, managing at least $260 million in revenue from the Argentine Football Association, while $57 million was distributed to companies and beneficiaries without a clear economic justification, according to the documents under investigation.