US Authorities Investigate Argentine FA Financial Dealings

Kathmandu. US FBI and federal prosecutors have advanced investigations into the financial dealings of the Argentine Football Association (FA) in the United States. 

The investigation is centered on financial dealings under the leadership of FA President Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia and business relations with a tour producer company, international media have reported.
According to Argentina's daily La Nacion, US federal prosecutors and FBI agents have begun taking statements from individuals related to the FA's financial dealings in the US. 

US Department of Justice investigators are looking into how the FA mobilized over 300 million US dollars through the US financial system and whether any of those dealings may or may not have generated crimes under US law. 

According to the news, FBI officials, in a Zoom video conference with businessman Guillermo Tofoni, gathered information on the possibility that some financial dealings related to the FA could take the form of crimes such as asset laundering (money laundering) or fraud through the US banking system. 

The investigation is said to have started in 2025. Involved are federal prosecutors Patrick Gushue and Christopher Ting from Washington D.C., and prosecutor Michael Berger from the Southern District of Florida. Gushue is associated with the Banking Integrity Unit of the US Department of Justice, while Berger previously worked on the asset laundering case against former Ecuadorian Comptroller General Carlos Ramon Polit Fazzio. 

The tour producer company is said to be the main focus of the investigation. This company was responsible for collecting funds received from sponsors and other business partners through international agreements made by the FA. 

It is reported that hundreds of millions of dollars, including approximately 60 million US dollars from Adidas and about 40 million US dollars from Warner, were mobilized through that company. However, no formal charges have been filed or convictions announced against the FA or any of its related officials to date. 

The investigation is in its preliminary stages, and US authorities are collecting evidence regarding the legality of financial dealings and potential legal violations.