SERGIO FARELLA
BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentine federal police carried out more than 30 raids Tuesday on the headquarters of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and at least a dozen soccer clubs as part of a judicial investigation into ties they maintain to a financial services company being investigated for money laundering.
The operations, ordered by federal judge Luis Armella, were carried out simultaneously at football clubs and at the headquarters in the Argentine capital of a sports organization run by Claudio “Chiki” Tapia, who is linked to the owner of the financial company Sur Finanzas, Ariel Vallejo.
Police agents are looking for contracts that clubs signed with the financial institution under investigation and other documentation stored on electronic devices, a court official with access to the case, who did not identify himself because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, told The Associated Press. Clubs that were raided and whose financial secrecy was ordered to be lifted include Independiente, Racing, Moron, Los Andes, Barracas Central and Acassuso.
Police also searched AFA-owned property in the city of Ezeiza – about 40 kilometers from Buenos Aires – in search of the world champion team.
Legal action is taking place in the midst of controversy for the alleged arbitrariness committed by Tapia in the leadership of the AFA, suspicions of partial arbitrations and complaints of corruption against the institution created by the government of Javier Milei.
Television channels broadcast footage of police in the sports organization's headquarters offices.
The Excursionistas club from Primera B Metropolitana attempted to separate from Sur Finanzas. “The club does not have any corporate, financial or administrative relationship with the company under investigation,” said a statement signed by the board of directors and circulated on social networks.
“The only existing connection with the firm in question was a sponsorship agreement” limited to “displaying the brand at contracted locations without any involvement in its internal operations or activities that are currently the subject of an investigation,” the club said.
Tapia he was re-elected in 2024 in a procedure that has been questioned by national authorities.
A few days ago, Argentina's regional opponents for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, were determined. The team, led by star Lionel Messi, has won every official tournament it has participated in since 2021: the Qatar World Cup, two America's Cups and the Finalissima.
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AP journalist Almudena Calatrava contributed to this story.
