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United States federal prosecutors and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have launched a preliminary investigation into the financial activities of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), examining whether transactions linked to the organisation in the United States violated federal laws on money laundering and fraud.
According to Argentine newspaper La Nacion, investigators from the US Department of Justice have begun interviewing individuals with knowledge of the AFA’s financial operations in the United States as the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues.
The report said investigators are examining how the football body, led by Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, channelled hundreds of millions of dollars through the US financial system and whether any of the transactions breached American financial regulations.
One of the reported witnesses is businessman Guillermo Tofoni, who allegedly participated in a three-hour virtual interview last week with federal prosecutors and FBI agents based in Washington, D.C., and Miami.
When contacted by La Nacion, Tofoni declined to confirm or deny the meeting. However, the newspaper reported that investigators are gathering testimony from people with direct knowledge of the AFA’s commercial operations during the leadership of Tapia and Pablo Toviggino, including the activities of TourProdEnter LLC, the company responsible for managing payments linked to the association’s international commercial contracts.
The report added that US authorities are also considering interviewing former Argentine government officials who may have had oversight or knowledge of the AFA’s financial operations.
According to La Nacion, the preliminary inquiry began in 2025 and is being led by federal prosecutors Patrick Gushue and Christopher Ting in Washington, D.C., alongside Michael Berger in the Southern District of Florida.
The newspaper alleged that TourProdEnter LLC handled at least $260 million in AFA-related revenue, while an additional $57 million was distributed to various companies and beneficiaries without clear economic justification in the financial records reviewed. It also alleged that some payments were made to businesses linked to Toviggino and members of his family.
Neither the US Department of Justice nor the FBI has publicly confirmed the reported investigation. La Nacion said the Justice Department did not respond to its request for comment before publication, while the AFA has maintained that the principle of presumption of innocence should be respected as the matter unfolds.
