​As Argentina advances through the 2026 World Cup in the United States, U.S. prosecutors and FBI agents are reportedly conducting a preliminary probe into the financial operations of the Argentine Football Association, or AFA, within American territory. The inquiry, described by CNN Brasil and Argentina’s La Nación as an effort to uncover how the AFA, under President Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, routed more than $300 million through U.S. financial channels and whether certain transactions could fall under U.S. criminal jurisdiction—potentially involving money laundering or bank fraud—has not yet produced any formal charges against the federation or its executives, according to the same reports.
Federal prosecutors and FBI agents operating out of Washington, D.C., and Miami have begun interviewing people with knowledge of the AFA’s international business dealings. CNN Brasil indicated that U.S. investigators are scrutinizing the federation’s transactions and the movement of its funds through the American banking system. A focal point of the inquiry is TourProdEnter LLC, a company owned by theater producer Javier Faroni and Erica Gillette, which, in recent years, managed the collection of AFA’s international sponsorship contracts and other commercial deals.
La Nación reported that this arrangement handled at least $260 million in AFA revenue via accounts opened at Citibank, Synovus, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and PNC Bank. The newspaper added that an additional $57 million was transferred to various other entities, with those transactions still under investigators’ review. Among the individuals who have reportedly already testified is Guillermo Tofoni, a businessman who has long been embroiled in a dispute with AFA leadership.
The reports also stated that the Department of Justice is considering calling former officials from the administration of President Javier Milei to testify, given that they may have access to information related to the federation’s financial operations. According to the cited sources, the investigation began in 2025 and is being led by federal prosecutors Patrick Gushue and Christopher Ting in Washington, and Michael Berger in the Southern District of Florida, all of whom specialize in financial crimes.
La Nación said it contacted the Department of Justice to inquire about the status of the probe but did not receive a response before publication. Representing the AFA, Tomás Regalado—the federation’s North America delegate—defended the presumption of innocence during a forum on soccer, corruption, and justice held recently in Miami. “Investigative measures alone do not establish liability or guilt,” Regalado said, as quoted by La Nación.
The U.S. inquiry into the AFA remains separate from the ongoing legal case in Argentina, and its status and scope continue to develop. The development of this investigation underscores the heightened scrutiny that FIFA-affiliated organizations face as they navigate complex international sponsorship deals and cross-border financial arrangements, with authorities in the United States examining whether such arrangements complied with U.S. law and whether any illicit activities occurred within the U.S. financial system. As the case progresses, more witnesses may be called, and additional financial records could come into view, potentially shaping the legal landscape around the AFA’s international operations and governance.