FBI Investigates Argentine Football Association for Money Laundering

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice have launched a preliminary investigation into the Argentine Football Association (AFA) for alleged money laundering, bank fraud, and tax evasion. The probe centers on over $260 million in international sponsorship contracts funneled through TourProdEnter LLC, a Miami-based firm run by Javier Faroni Source: Clarin.

The Money Trail

Authorities suspect that the AFA, under President Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia, used TourProdEnter to collect payments from sponsors like Adidas ($60 million) and Warner ($40 million) via five U.S. banks including Bank of America and JP Morgan Source: abc.es. Investigators have identified $40–57 million in suspicious transfers to shell companies and entities linked to AFA treasurer Pablo Toviggino Source: lavozar. Businessman Guillermo Tofoni, who obtained a discovery document in U.S. court, has testified via video conference with prosecutors Patrick Gushue, Christopher Ting, and Michael Berger Source: Infobae.

Parallel Investigations

The FBI probe coincides with a separate Argentine case known as 'Sur Finanzas', where a judge indicted former Club Banfield officials for money laundering in a network allegedly tied to Tapia's friend Maximiliano Vallejo Source: Infobae. Additionally, Argentine courts have confirmed the AFA's processing for tax fraud over $13 million in unpaid social security contributions Source: emolcl.

AFA's Position

The AFA has not been formally charged. Its North American representative, Tomás Regalado, defended the principle of presumption of innocence, stating that investigation measures 'do not determine responsibility or guilt' Source: excelsiormx. The investigation is expected to continue after the 2026 World Cup.