The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Justice have launched investigations into the financial operations of the Argentine Football Association inside the United States during the 2026 World Cup period, based on suspicions related to fraud and money laundering, according to the Argentine newspaper La Nación.
The newspaper indicated that US authorities are seeking to understand how the Argentine Football Association, headed by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, managed hundreds of millions of dollars across US territory, and whether those operations involved financial violations or potential crimes.
A large part of the investigations focuses on the US company "Tour Prod Inter", owned by Argentine producer Javier Varoni, which handled the collection and management of revenues from the Argentine Football Association's international commercial contracts.
The newspaper revealed that businessman Guillermo Tofoni testified for three hours via video technology before investigators from the Department of Justice and FBI agents in Washington and Miami, as part of the investigations related to the management of the Argentine Association and the US company.
US authorities are also considering summoning former officials from the government of Argentine President Javier Milei who had information or oversight powers related to the work of the Argentine Football Association in recent years.
The investigation is led by three federal prosecutors: Patrick Joshu, Christopher Ting, and Michael Berger, who are focusing primarily on the role of the company "Tour Prod Inter" as the entity responsible for collecting revenues from the Association's commercial contracts.
For their part, figures representing the Argentine Football Association in North America called for respecting the principle of presumption of innocence, emphasizing that investigation procedures do not necessarily imply liability or conviction.
According to documents reviewed by La Nación, the US company managed at least $260 million in revenues for the Argentine Football Association, while approximately $57 million was distributed to companies and beneficiaries without clear economic justification, according to journalistic investigations.
Reports also pointed to financial transfers to companies linked to individuals receiving social benefits inside Argentina, in addition to companies linked to the family of Pablo Toviggino, one of the most prominent officials within the Argentine Football Association.
US authorities' follow-up on the file dates back several months, as information had previously been exchanged regarding some financial operations of the Argentine Football Association since 2024, before the investigations expanded following journalistic reports that spoke of a network of financial transactions centered in the state of Florida.
The investigations come at a time when the Argentine national team is participating in the 2026 World Cup held in America.
The Argentine national team is preparing to face Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
