FBI Investigates Argentine Football Association for Possible Fraud

By Chioma Eze/ 8 Jul 2026(updated 4m ago)/ 2 min read/ 18 views
FBI Investigates Argentine Football Association for Possible Fraud
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United States federal prosecutors and FBI agents are looking into the financial dealings of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in the US. They want to find out if any transactions could be seen as money laundering or fraud under American law.

A report from Argentine newspaper La Nacion says that investigators from the US Department of Justice are starting to gather testimonies from people who know about AFA’s finances in the US as preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup go on.

The report mentions that investigators aim to understand how the AFA, led by Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, moved hundreds of millions of dollars through the US financial system. They want to know if any of these transactions broke US laws.

One of the witnesses is businessman Guillermo Tofoni. He reportedly took part in a three-hour virtual interview last week with federal prosecutors and FBI agents from Washington, D.C., and Miami. When La Nacion reached out to Tofoni, he did not confirm or deny the meeting in Miami. The newspaper added that US investigators are looking for witnesses who have direct knowledge of events during Tapia and Pablo Toviggino’s time in charge of the AFA and TourProdEnter LLC. This company, owned by theater producer Javier Faroni, managed the collection of payments for the AFA’s commercial contracts abroad.

The report also says that US authorities might interview former Argentine government officials who could have had oversight or knowledge of AFA’s operations.

According to La Nacion, this preliminary inquiry started in 2025. It is being led by federal prosecutors Patrick Gushue and Christopher Ting in Washington, D.C., along with Michael Berger in the Southern District of Florida.

“TourProdEnter LLC managed at least US$260 million in revenue from the AFA,” the report claims. However, bank records reviewed by La Nacion suggest that only part of this money can be directly linked to the AFA’s operating expenses under Tapia’s leadership.

“Another US$57 million was shared among different companies and beneficiaries, but the reasons for these payments are unclear from the documents we looked at,” the report adds.

The report also suggests that payments were made to companies connected to Toviggino and his family members. La Nacion mentioned that the US Department of Justice did not reply to its request for comments on the investigation before the report was published.

Finally, the AFA has emphasized the importance of the presumption of innocence.

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Chioma Eze

Founder & EIC. Lagos-based.

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