HIBAPRESS – Agencies
An Argentine court issued a decision on Thursday to prevent Claudio Tapia, the president of the local football association, from leaving the country and summoned him to appear before it to be investigated in a case of alleged tax evasion, according to a ruling published by the local press.
Claudio (58 years old), nicknamed "Chiqui" Tapia, was summoned to appear before the court on March 5, based on a complaint filed by the Argentine Tax Authority, which suspects him of tax evasion and embezzlement of social security funds. The association's treasurer, Pablo Toviggino, was also summoned to appear before the court on March 6. The travel ban also includes three other officials in the association. The court ruling states that "due to the seriousness of the facts under investigation, it is appropriate to impose a travel ban on the individuals mentioned," without specifying the duration of this ban, especially whether it will continue until they appear before the court or extend beyond that. The authorities are investigating whether the Argentine Football Association illegally retained retirement contributions from players and employees, and evaded taxes between March 2024 and September 2025. The judge ruled that there were "sufficient reasons to suspect the involvement of the individuals mentioned in the facts under investigation," according to the ruling published by several media outlets. In addition to this case, the Argentine Football Association is also under investigation for money laundering, which led to a search of its headquarters last December. The Argentine Football Association condemned a "smear campaign" and confirmed that the businessman behind the lawsuit, who was excluded from organizing friendly matches for the world champions, has the "support of the national government, specifically the Minister of Justice, Mariano Cúneo Libarona." Relations are strained between Claudio Tapia, who has headed the association since 2017 and has a history in trade union work, and the government of the ultra-liberal President Javier Milei. Tapia strongly opposes the idea of converting Argentine football clubs, which have traditionally been associations of members, into sports companies open to foreign investment, a model supported by Milei.
