An economic criminal prosecutor has formally charged the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapiaas well as its treasurer, Pablo Tovigginofor an alleged improper withholding of social security contributionsin a case that has arisen from a complaint from the Customs Collection and Control Agency (ARCA), which estimates that the debt for the years 2024 and 2025 would amount to more than 19,000 million pesos (11.7 million euros)as reported by Argentine media such as the newspapers ‘La Nación’ or ‘Crónica’.
From the analysis of this complaint and the documentation provided “sufficient elements have emerged to move forward with the criminal action for the facts investigated”, as stated in a resolution to which the press has had access.
In his opinion, Navas has indicated that, despite the fact that the banking documentation reflects important accreditations of funds during the periods analyzedthe AFA would not have deposited the amounts withheld within 30 days after expirationa situation that has led to the issuance and notification of debt slips by ARCA.
In the context of this case, the prosecutor has requested a series of evidentiary measures that must be authorized by a judge. Among them, it has requested that the Central Bank of Argentina reveal with which banking entities the AFA has operated so that, once those banks are identified, ask them for a detailed report of all accounts that the association has maintained during 2024 and 2025. Likewise, the prosecutor has requested from the General Inspection of Justice the financial statements presented by the AFA corresponding to those same exercises.
So far, neither Tapia nor the other accused leaders – among whom are also the general secretary, Cristian Malaspinaand the general director, Gustavo Lorenzo— have spoken publicly about the accusation.
Days ago, however, the AFA released a statement – collected by the same media – in which it assured that “He does not receive a single peso from the State” and supported Tapia’s management at the head of the institution since his arrival in 2017, a period in which the Argentine soccer team It has won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2021 and 2024 Copa América.
This accusation has represented the first formal accusation against Tapia and Toviggino within the framework of a set of judicial cases opened in recent months in relation to the heritage of senior officials of the AFA and with him financial management of the Association. Several of these investigations have been promoted in the context of political confrontation between the government of President Javier Milei and the leadership of Argentine football.
