Scandal in Argentina: what is known about the judicial investigation opened in the U.S. that targets AFA?

The Argentine newspaper “La Nación” reported that federal prosecutors and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began contacting companies that signed millionaire contracts with the AFA. They also requested communications from Tapia, his treasurer and right-hand man Pablo Toviggino, and theater producer and businessman Javier Faroni.

Read more At 40, Luka Modric made a decision no one expected after the World Cup: his fans didn’t expect it

This Department of Justice investigation focuses on TourProdEnter LLC, a company headed by Javier Faroni and his partner Erica Gillette, which was incorporated in 2021 in Florida and became a commercial agent for the AFA abroad, allowing it to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years.

The problem is that of the approximately US$300 million that TourProdEnter LLC accumulated in at least five banks in the North American country, almost US$57 million were diverted through 10 companies incorporated in Miami, according to banking records obtained in the United States by Argentine businessman Guillermo Tofoni, whose accusations gave rise to the case in October 2025.

“TourProdEnter LLC belongs to an Argentine theater producer who was a provincial deputy, very close to former presidential candidate Sergio Massa. That company had participated in AFA businesses and has real estate purchases that are apparently somewhat difficult to justify, and that is why it is being investigated. There is an important relationship because that production company’s businesses are with the AFA,” Argentine political scientist and analyst Santiago Rodríguez Rey tells El Comercio.

At this point, the United States Department of Justice is conducting a criminal investigation seeking to confirm whether alleged crimes of tax evasion and money laundering were committed, as a large part of the money TourProdEnter LLC received for the AFA does not appear in the sports entity’s financial statements, which could signify bank fraud in the financial system and other illicit activities.

Media outlets such as “La Nación” and “Clarín” have reported major irregularities and revealed that millions of dollars were transferred to shell companies that did not carry out any real economic activity. The “front” companies are linked to a man who worked in a pharmacy in Bariloche, a woman who worked in a decoration store, and even beneficiaries of social welfare payments.

As part of the case, US justice is also tracking the purchase of four luxury apartments in exclusive areas of Florida valued at US$11 million by Faroni and his partner. Authorities suspect money laundering and are therefore seeking to determine the origin of the funds used to complete the acquisition.

Key Summons

Recent developments in the case were reported after the Argentine press confirmed that leaders close to Tapia received summonses to the Southern District of Florida Court for July 30. Their names have not been revealed.

Despite the details of the case disseminated in the media, the AFA denied in a statement on Wednesday that its president and other authorities of the organization had been summoned to testify before US courts or detained by the FBI.

The entity indicated that the summons was addressed to an unidentified third party. “The summons issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is addressed to a third party, who is required to appear before a Grand Jury and eventually present documentation and communications linked to various individuals, including authorities of this Association,” the AFA said.

Read more Superior Draw Results 2891: see today’s grand prize, Friday, July 24

The highest representative of Argentine football also denied that the FBI had seized the cell phones or other electronic devices of Tapia and Toviggino, as some Argentine media reported on Monday.

Under Scrutiny

The AFA and its leaders face other investigations in the United States and, mainly, in Argentina, where there are criminal cases for tax evasion and retention and investigations into alleged enrichment or diversion of funds through intermediaries and luxury properties.

“The investigation advancing in the United States has Tapia and Toviggino, among other AFA directors, under scrutiny, who are also being investigated by Argentine justice, but it is not the same investigation. In Argentina and the United States, the alleged commission of different crimes in different jurisdictions is being investigated,” “La Nación” points out.

“What is most striking at the moment are the numbers being handled, the sums of money. Then, it is not a single case, there are different related cases. The latest one published by the newspapers mentions the summonses in the United States, but it is different from a case that has been developing in Argentina for some time and it is different from another case that is also in the United States. It’s like a series of cases that have the characters as a common element, but are not necessarily related to each other,” says Rodríguez Rey.

In Argentina, a judge formally accused the AFA, Tapia, and other directors of tax evasion three months ago, which led to an embargo on Tapia for about US$250,000.

For Rodríguez Rey, in Argentina, social criticism of the AFA focuses on two parallel issues. On one side are the judicial investigations centered on economic matters, in which there are multiple cases: two in the United States plus a series of enrichment cases in Argentina.

“On the other side, and where the public image of the AFA and its leadership is most eroded, is the organization of the local tournament. Argentina has a championship that is too long, exhausting, and it is argued that Argentine football is losing quality. And perhaps in the day-to-day, the latter has more weight. That is, there is increasingly strong criticism due to sporting factors,” says the expert.

He explains that it is in parallel to this that business-related scandals occur. Furthermore, it is not insignificant that clubs in Argentina are all non-profit associations.

“So, the election of the president of the Argentine Football Association falls to the presidents of the clubs. The distribution of the money collected is done by the AFA. And there are already very important conditions because, of course, the AFA is a non-profit association. In parallel, all these companies related to people linked to the AFA’s organization begin to appear. And now it is being investigated who the people around them are and what their economic situation is,” he comments.

“These two worlds, the business world surrounding the Argentine Football Association, and the Argentine Football Association organization are beginning to collide,” he concludes.

Read more Earthquake in Mexico today, Friday, July 24: see epicenter of the latest earthquake according to SSN