How funds from Argentine Football Association were diverted, now under U.S. justice scrutiny

U.S. authorities are investigating alleged diversions of nearly $57 million from funds managed by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The investigation centers on a commercial contract established in December 2021, which appointed a little-known company, TourProdEnter LLC, as the AFA's external commercial agent.

TourProdEnter LLC was created just four months prior to the agreement in Florida, with Erica Gillette, the partner of theater producer Javier Faroni and a personal friend of AFA President Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, listed as its head. Over the subsequent four years, the company reportedly accumulated approximately $300 million across at least five U.S. banks. Only a portion of these funds were used for the AFA's domestic and international activities.

According to business records obtained in the U.S., nearly $57 million were allegedly diverted through ten companies established in Miami. The U.S. Justice Department has advanced its investigation following the Argentine national team's defeat in the World Cup final, issuing subpoenas for AFA officials close to Tapia to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on July 30.

The investigation has uncovered a pattern of irregular financial dealings involving numerous "shell" companies. These entities include a former pharmacy worker, a woman who worked in a decoration store, "twin" companies, and even beneficiaries of social welfare programs. One case involves a 70-year-old retiree who received $2.4 million from TourProdEnter through fourteen transfers, primarily in 2025, via her company Tronador Import Export LLC. Several other suspicious companies, such as Velpasalt LLC and Soagu Services LLC, also received significant sums before some were dissolved shortly after the initial revelations.