Argentine Football Association Faces FBI Probe Over Alleged Money Laundering: Report
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a probe into the financial operations of Argentine Football Association (AFA) in the United States, according to a report.
- The FBI is probing financial operations of Argentine Football Association in the United States, a report said
- The report claimed that the football association, headed by president Claudio Tapia, is under investigation
- The FBI is reportedly trying to understand how AFA channeled money through the USA financial system
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a probe into the financial operations of Argentine Football Association (AFA) in the United States, according to a report by Argentine newspaper La Nacion. The report claimed that the football association, headed by president Claudio Tapia, is under investigation for allegations of possible money laundering. The investigating agency is reportedly trying to understand how AFA channeled money through the USA financial system and whether the entire process could have resulted in any crimes. The news broke amid ongoing controversy surrounding Argentina's win over Egypt in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 matches where a number of referee decisions were heavily criticised.
According to the report, a Florida-based company TourProdEnter LLC takes care of AFA's financial obligations abroad and they are currently under investigation. “According to documentation obtained and analyzed by LA NACION during the last few months and revealed at the end of 2025 and the beginning of this year, Gillette and Faroni —former Buenos Aires legislator of the Renewal Front— moved at least hundreds of millions of dollars through accounts opened in five US financial entities: Citibank, Synovus, Bank of America, JP Morgan and PNC Bank,” the report claimed.
“Through these accounts, TourProdEnter LLC managed at least US$260 million in revenue from the AFA, although—according to bank records analyzed by LA NACION —only a portion of these funds can be directly linked to identifiable operating expenses of the organization headed by Tapia. Another US$57 million was distributed among various companies and beneficiaries whose economic justification is not apparent from the documentation reviewed by this newspaper. Among these transfers are wire transfers of tens of millions of dollars to companies that, according to documentation analyzed by LA NACION , do not provide any identifiable services and were controlled by individuals who, according to official records consulted by this newspaper, received social welfare benefits and resided in Bariloche or Buenos Aires,” the report added.
Tapia has already found himself in the news due to corruption investigations and an ongoing power struggle with Argentine President Javier Milei over the ownership structure of the football clubs. He was charged with tax evasion in March.
Argentina