A company that manages the international revenues of the Argentine soccer association is under investigation over an alleged diversion of funds. File Photo by Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA
A company that manages the international revenues of the Argentine soccer association, or AFA, is under investigation over an alleged diversion of funds generated by the commercial exploitation of the Argentina national team that could exceed $40 million.
The complaint was filed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, under the authority of federal prosecutor Jason A. Reding Quiñones, Infobae reported.
An investigation by the Argentine daily La Nacion found the U.S.-based company TourProdEnter LLC, which holds the AFA’s commercial rights abroad, accumulated more than $260 million over the past four years across four U.S. banks.
However, only part of those funds was used to cover the federation’s activities inside and outside Argentina. At least $42 million is estimated to have ended up in four companies incorporated in the state of Florida that have no employees and no declared commercial activity.
The information on the alleged diversion of funds stems from a U.S. court-ordered discovery process that required several banks to turn over confidential records.
The AFA manages millions of dollars in prize money from its national team, television rights and global sponsorships.
Since early December, it has faced multiple accusations including alleged misappropriation of funds, influence peddling and the use of shell companies to purchase luxury mansions and sports cars, diverting money from core soccer activities.
Since taking office, President Javier Milei has maintained a public confrontation with AFA leaders over alleged transparency failures and abuse of privileges.
For that reason, Infobae reported, the Argentine government sent a letter to prosecutor Reding Quiñones supporting the investigation and pledging cooperation.
U.S. banking records indicate that about $500,000 may have been transferred to companies linked to Pablo Toviggino, the AFA’s treasurer and a close associate of Claudio Tapia, who has led the organization since 2017.
The complaint states other companies tied to senior AFA officials also allegedly received part of the diverted funds from a Bank of America account in the name of TourProdEnter LLC, a company registered by Erica Gillette, the wife of former lawmaker Javier Faroni.
The newspaper Clarin reported that Faroni was detained Tuesday while attempting to leave Argentina for Uruguay.
Argentine authorities carried out simultaneous raids at Faroni’s residence, at the AFA headquarters in Buenos Aires and at the Ezeiza training complex, the main training center for the national team, seeking documents and evidence related to the alleged diversion of funds.
Argentine courts also ordered the lifting of tax and banking secrecy for Tapia, Toviggino and other members of the AFA executive board. The organization has rejected the accusations, describing them as a “defamation campaign” against the institution and its leadership.
The AFA said it maintains a legal and valid contract with TourProdEnter LLC that has been reviewed by courts in Argentina and the United States without finding irregularities.
It also said that previous investigations into sponsorship agreements and the organization of friendly matches, including games played in China, ended with the dismissal of charges against the organization and its president.
