United States federal prosecutors and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have launched a preliminary probe into the financial operations of the Argentine Football Association in the US.

They are investigating whether transactions linked to the body could constitute money laundering or fraud under American law.

According to a report published on Wednesday by Argentine newspaper La Nacion, investigators from the US Department of Justice have begun taking testimony from individuals with knowledge of the AFA’s financial activities in the United States as the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues.

The report said investigators are seeking to determine how the football body, led by Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, channelled hundreds of millions of dollars through the US financial system and whether any of those transactions violated US laws.

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 private meeting held in Miami,” the newspaper said, adding that according to information it obtained, “US investigators are seeking witnesses with direct knowledge of what occurred during Tapia and Pablo Toviggino ‘s tenure at the helm of the AFA and TourProdEnter LLC , the company owned by theater producer Javier Faroni that managed the collection of payments for the organization’s commercial contracts abroad.”

The report added that US authorities are also considering interviewing former officials in the Argentine government who may have had oversight or knowledge of the AFA’s operations.

According to La Nacion, the preliminary inquiry began taking shape 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.

“TourProdEnter LLC managed at least US$260 million in revenue from the AFA, although—according to bank records analyzed by LA NACION —only a portion of these funds can be directly linked to identifiable operating expenses of the organization headed by Tapia.

“Another US$57 million was distributed among various companies and beneficiaries whose economic justification is not apparent from the documentation reviewed by this newspaper.”

The report also alleged that payments were made to companies linked to Toviggino and members of his family.

La Nacion said the US Department of Justice did not respond to its request for comment on the status of the investigation before publication.

It said AFA had also recently stressed the importance of the presumption of innocence. (The PUNCH)

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