Argentina FA executives probed by FBI as World Cup champions’ team plane seized in New York

US federal authorities have launched a sweeping corruption probe into the Argentine Football Association (AFA), with FBI agents reportedly seizing the national team’s plane in New York and targeting senior officials over alleged money laundering and fraud involving hundreds of millions of dollars.

Wide‐ranging US investigation into AFA finances

The investigation, led by FBI agents and US federal prosecutors, is examining how hundreds of millions of dollars linked to AFA’s commercial contracts moved through the US banking system.

Investigators are said to be focusing in particular on “tens of millions” of dollars whose final destination was not clearly documented in banking records reviewed by authorities.

According to Argentine outlet Infobae, FBI agents detained the aircraft used by Argentina’s national team at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport to confiscate property belonging to senior AFA figures, including its president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino.

Both men are under investigation on suspicion of fraud and embezzlement, alongside businessmen Diego Lucero and Javier Varoni.

The case, which Argentine media describe as a new chapter in one of the country’s biggest ever corruption scandals, centres on the handling of commercial income from sponsorship, image rights and friendly matches since Argentina’s World Cup triumph and looking ahead to the 2030 tournament.

Florida firm at heart of money‐laundering allegations

Court proceedings are taking place in the Southern District of Florida, where AFA officials have been summoned to appear on 30 July as part of what US prosecutors are referring to as the “AFA scandal”.

They have been ordered to supply all available information relating to a Florida‐registered shell company under investigation as the main vehicle allegedly used to launder and move money from AFA’s sponsorship and commercial contracts.

The company, TourProdEnter LLC – a limited liability firm created by Varoni and his wife Erika Gillette – was, according to documents cited in the probe, designated by Tapia as the AFA’s “exclusive agent” for collecting:

– International AFA contracts
– Income from sponsors and commercial rights
– Revenues from friendly matches and other business linked to the national team

In return, TourProdEnter LLC was authorised to receive commissions for its role and for providing logistical services for these operations.

Investigators say banking documents show that AFA income was dispersed across multiple accounts, with around $14m from contracts in Asia, Europe and the Gulf passing through a single account alone. The money allegedly stayed there for only 24 to 72 hours before being forwarded elsewhere.

Overall, transactions under scrutiny exceed $300m, Infobae reported.

AFA accused of failing to declare millions

US authorities believe the AFA failed to report any of the sums under investigation by the Department of Justice in its official financial statements.

The alleged irregularities form part of a broader pattern that, according to reports, also includes the seizure late last year of more than 50 luxury vehicles and a property in Villa Rosa valued at more than $20m. That asset is said to be registered in the name of a front man linked to Tapia.

Speculation and conspiracy theories over match‐fixing surrounding a recent final – widely discussed in Argentine media – are now being portrayed by some outlets as a “smokescreen” that has obscured what they describe as the real scandal inside the AFA.

Tapia camp calls claims ‘false’ and ‘baseless’

Those close to the AFA president have strongly rejected the accusations.

Sources described the claims as “false” and “without any foundation”, despite the ongoing legal actions.

Mariano Lizardo, Tapia’s lawyer, told Argentine daily La Nacion: “لقد تحدثت معه للتو، ولم يحدث ذلك”.
(“I have just spoken to him, and that did not happen.”)

AFA statement disputes nature of US summons

In a formal statement to the media, the AFA attempted to play down reports that Tapia and Toviggino had been personally summoned by the US courts.

“In light of media reports, the Argentine Football Association considers it necessary to provide the following clarification: the document referred to in various publications does not constitute a summons addressed to the president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, nor to the treasurer of the institution, Pablo Toviggino,” the statement said.

It continued: “ان امر الاستدعاء الصادر عن محكمة الولايات المتحدة للمنطقة الجنوبية من فلوريدا موجه الى طرف ثالث، وهو مطالب بالمثول امام هيية محلفين كبرى وتقديم الوثايق والمراسلات المتعلقة بافراد مختلفين، بما في ذلك سلطات هذه الجمعية”.

The AFA stressed that the document “does not provide for any personal action against the president or his treasurer, does not order them to appear in court, does not impose any procedural obligation on them, nor does it record any seizure or confiscation of their property”.

The statement concluded by warning that the “publication of inaccurate information or information that is deliberately distorted generates serious misinformation and unjustifiably affects the honour and reputation of individuals and institutions”.

The US Department of Justice has not yet issued a public comment on the case, and no formal charges against Tapia or Toviggino have been announced.