Miami, MINA – Despite Argentina’s legendary soccer team reaching the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, federal authorities have been investigating the Argentine Football Association (AFA) for possible fraud and money laundering stemming from hundreds of millions of dollars in bank transactions linked to the United States, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation in Washington and Miami.
According to the Miami Herald, the FBI is leading the probe into the AFA’s financial operations, led by President Claudio Tapia, who was in Miami for Argentina’s victory over Cape Verde last week. Lionel Messi and his teammates will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, after a controversial victory over Egypt in the round of 16.
La Nación, the Argentine newspaper that first reported the news on Wednesday (July 8), reported that the FBI is investigating how the AFA transferred more than $300 million to banks and companies in South Florida and elsewhere.
The Argentine newspaper reported that during the match against Cape Verde, FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors questioned Argentine sports entrepreneur Guillermo Tofoni.
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The FBI is reportedly seeking evidence about the AFA’s operations under Tapia’s leadership and its relationship with TourProdEnter LLC, a South Florida company that handles the association’s foreign commercial agreements.
The FBI’s investigation into Tofoni reportedly centers on how the AFA structured its international commercial agreements, whether transactions involving US-based banks and companies may have violated US law by concealing potentially illicit funds, and their purpose. However, no charges have been filed in Argentina.
Meanwhile, Tapia remains in the United States as Argentina continues its participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
An Argentine court granted Tapia permission to travel despite facing charges in his country for allegedly mismanaging tax and Social Security funds totaling more than 19 billion Argentine pesos ($12.7 million). This is unrelated to the AFA investigation in Miami.
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In the United States, no formal charges have been filed in connection with the AFA investigation. On Wednesday, the FBI’s Miami field office declined to comment on the investigation or his whereabouts. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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