Argentina's World Cup Run Shadowed by FBI Investigation Into Football Association Finances

While Lionel Messi and Argentina chase a second straight World Cup title, the organisation running the national team is facing a federal investigation thousands of miles away in the United States.

The FBI and federal prosecutors are examining more than 300 million dollars in transactions tied to the Argentine Football Association, known as the AFA, according to reporting from Argentine newspaper La Nación and multiple outlets including the Miami New Times, Goal.com and UPI. Investigators are looking at whether money moved through the American banking system in ways that could amount to money laundering, wire fraud or bank fraud under U.S. law.

At the centre of the probe is TourProdEnter LLC, a Florida company set up in 2021 that reportedly acted as the collection agent for the AFA's international commercial contracts, including sponsorship money from companies such as Adidas and Warner Bros Discovery. The company is owned by theatre producer Javier Faroni and his wife Erica Gillette. According to La Nación's reporting, TourProdEnter handled at least 260 million dollars in AFA revenue, and around 57 million dollars of that was reportedly paid out to various people and companies without a clear business justification. Investigators are said to be reviewing accounts held at Citibank, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Synovus and PNC Bank.

AFA president Claudio Tapia has been questioned as part of the inquiry, and federal investigators are also seeking witnesses with knowledge of the organisation's finances during Tapia's time in charge and that of fellow official Pablo Toviggino. Businessman Guillermo Tofoni reportedly sat down with FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors in Miami for a meeting that ran more than two hours. The investigation is said to be led by federal prosecutors Patrick Gushue and Christopher Ting, along with Michael Berger, who previously helped convict former Ecuadorian comptroller Carlos Ramón Pólit on money laundering charges in Miami.

No criminal charges have been filed against the AFA or any of its officials in either country, and the organisation's representatives have pushed back on the coverage. Tomás Regalado, who acts as the AFA's delegate for North America, told reporters at a forum on football and corruption in Miami that investigative activity alone does not establish guilt.

The U.S. investigation is separate from a domestic case Tapia is already facing in Argentina, where he was charged with tax evasion following a complaint from President Javier Milei's government. That dispute has played out against a broader clash between Milei's administration and Argentine football's governing bodies over the future of the professional game. In December 2025, Argentine federal police raided AFA headquarters and a number of clubs as part of a separate investigation into the financial services firm Sur Finanzas.

None of this has affected Argentina's results on the pitch. Messi's side reached the quarter-finals with a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Egypt from two goals down, and are among the favourites heading into their last-eight match against Switzerland. Tapia has continued to travel with the team during the tournament, including a training session in Kennesaw, Georgia, the day before the Egypt match, even as the financial questions around his organisation continue to grow.