The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has strongly denied reports that its president Claudio Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino were detained and questioned by US authorities after leaving the country following Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain.
Reports claimed the two officials were stopped at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport while preparing to board a flight with the Argentine national team. They were allegedly questioned by authorities, had their electronic devices seized and were later summoned to court over the federation’s international contracts.
However, the AFA dismissed the reports as “absolutely false.”
“All lies,” an AFA source told AFP, while the FBI declined to comment on the claims.
The federation did acknowledge that a US investigation involving a third party connected to the organisation is ongoing. According to the AFA, a Florida district court issued a summons requiring the unnamed individual to appear before a grand jury and provide documents and communications potentially involving several people, including AFA officials.
Tapia has led the AFA since 2017 and is currently facing several investigations in Argentina. One concerns alleged money laundering, while another involves suspected tax evasion.
His relationship with Argentine President Javier Milei’s administration has also become increasingly tense, particularly over the government’s push to privatise football clubs across the country.
