Argentine football strike over AFA tax case deepens feud with Javier Milei | OneFootball

Argentine football will halt from Thursday to Sunday across all categories as clubs strike over the indictments of AFA president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino for tax fraud, amid a stand-off with Javier Milei’s government.

According to L'Équipe, the AFA executive committee, not the players’ union, led the move after club chiefs on 23 February voted to suspend the ninth round. All four are due in court between Thursday and Monday.

On 12 December tax authority ARCA sued the AFA for more than 19 billion pesos, about 11.5 million euros, in withheld charges and taxes. The federation later paid, citing deferred-payment rules, though prosecutor Claudio Roberto Navas Rial alleges an offence given available funds.

The political backdrop is a government push to let member-owned clubs convert into corporations open to foreign capital, a plan opposed by Tapia and most clubs.

La Nacion reports TourProdEnter LLC, created in 2021 to manage AFA’s overseas deals, handled 260 million dollars, 222 million euros, with some funds routed to US shell companies.

Senator Patricia Bullrich urged a full investigation and went to Conmebol’s ethics committee, while the AFA accused authorities of a smear campaign. Vélez Sarsfield president Fabian Berlanga said clubs reject corporate imposition.

The government has lately softened its tone, mindful FIFA’s Article 19 bars political interference and any breach could harm the Albiceleste before the 11 June to 19 July World Cup. On Sunday the AFA said links with Venezuela’s federation helped free gendarme Nahuel Gallo after 448 days.

Source: L'Équipe