Competent authorities, like the FBI, are investigating movements of about $300 million. There are no charges yet, but the Argentine Football Association is investigated and money laundering crimes may be involved.
© Chris Brunskill/Fantast/Getty Images
by
News to Minutes
O Federal Bureau of Investigation (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is investigating the Argentine Football Association (AFA) for alleged million-dollar transactions in the United States.
The information is advanced this Wednesday by the Argentine publication La Nacion, which found these data from at least two sources close to the investigation. According to what is mentioned, it is still being analyzed the possibility of being summoned former officials of the current Argentine president, Javier Milei.
What is this about?
It explains the Argentine publication that both the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice are collecting testimony about the transactions made by AFA, namely, to understand whether the movement of about $300 million by the association led by Claudio Tapia constitutes crimes such as money laundering or fraud.
One of the people heard was the businessman Guillermo Tofoni, with whom the authorities will have held a meeting that lasted about three hours. The objective was to understand the financial structure used by AFA, especially to administer international commercial contracts. The meeting with Tofoni still seems to be far from any accusation, but it is seen by the international press as the first step towards identifying possible irregularities. Contacted by the newspaper La Nacion, Tofoni did not confirm – or deny – that this meeting happened.
Note that the investigation will be giving wide ‘passes’ at a time when Argentina disputes the final quarter of the World Cup. Claudio Tapia, also known as Chiqui, is following the selection in the United States, and has also attended competitions alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
It should be noted, however, that Chiqui has obtained a special authorization from Argentine justice to follow travel, as also in her country is being investigated for alleged mismanagement of tax resources.
In this case, TourProdEnter LLC, a company owned by producer Javier Faroni, will also be involved. According to documentation obtained by the publication La Nacion, both Faroni and his wife, Erica Gillette, moved large amounts of money to the United States in 2025 and early this year. The couple have not only one bank account in the US, but five: Citibank, Synovus, Bank of America, JP Morgan and PNC Bank.
There is also the possibility of this invetsigation reaching former governors close to Milei, since they have had access to confidential information on AFA, and in particular have supervised some operations over the last few years.
The case is being investigated by Patrick Gushue, Christopher Ting and Michael Berger, American financial crime experts. There are no formal charges so far, and according to the international press, entities are trying to understand whether there are enough elements to open a criminal case. The investigation will have started in 2025.
It should also be noted that Argentine football is ‘in sight’ not only out of the field, but inside, since this week the victory of Messi’s team against Egypt is being challenged by the African team. In particular, this is the “inadequate use of RAV”.