Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – Argentina’s top football officials on Wednesday firmly denied reports that their federation’s president and treasurer were detained and questioned upon leaving the United States after the World Cup final. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) did, however, acknowledge a US investigation into a third party with links to the association.
The organization issued a statement following media reports that its president Claudio Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino had been detained at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport before boarding the flight transporting the national squad home after their loss to Spain Sunday. The pair were reportedly detained for questioning and had their electronic devices seized by US authorities, before being summoned to appear in court regarding AFA’s international contracts.
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But an AFA statement denied all of the reported claims as “absolutely false.” “All lies,” a source from the association told AFP, while the FBI declined to comment. A district court in Florida had issued a summons targeting “a third party,” AFA conceded. The individual “is being asked to appear before a grand jury and present any documents and communications that may be related to various individuals, including officials” of the federation, it said.
AFA, headed by football heavyweight Tapia since 2017, is the subject of several investigations in Argentina. One probe is focusing on alleged money laundering, while another relates to tax evasion. Under former trade unionist Tapia’s leadership, AFA’s relations with far-right President Javier Milei’s administration have grown strained. Tapia, for instance, strongly opposes the ultra-liberal leader’s desire to privatize football clubs across the country.
© 2024 AFP
