Argentine league round suspended in protest over complaint against AFA | OneFootball

The ninth round of the Apertura tournament in Argentina was suspended this Monday (23) at the request of the clubs in solidarity with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), which is the target of a tax evasion complaint for which the entity's president, Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia, was summoned to testify.

In a meeting of the Argentine league's Executive Committee, the club leaders unanimously requested the suspension of the national championship matches scheduled between Thursday, March 5, and Sunday, March 8, the AFA reported in a statement.

The measure was taken “in repudiation of the complaint filed by ARCA (official tax collection agency) against the Argentine Football Association,” says the statement released by the highest football entity in Argentina.

The Professional Football League also reported that the “protest” will affect all categories of Argentine football.

However, the seventh and eighth rounds of the Apertura tournament will be played until March 5.

The AFA, its president, and four other officials are being investigated in a case that examines whether the powerful football entity improperly withheld and failed to deposit approximately 19 billion pesos (about R$ 67 million at the current exchange rate) in taxes and social security contributions between March 2024 and September 2025.

Ninth round coincided with summons

The ninth round was scheduled to begin exactly on the day Tapia is due to testify in court in this case. The AFA treasurer and three other directors must also appear to give testimony.

Due to this summons, last week a judge had prohibited Tapia from leaving the country, but this Monday the same magistrate authorized him to travel to Colombia and Brazil in exchange for a bail of five million pesos (R$ 18,900).

Tapia had requested travel authorization to attend an event of the Colombian Football Federation in Barranquilla and then a Conmebol council meeting in Rio de Janeiro, between February 23 and 28.

With the judicial decision issued this Monday, it is expected that Tapia will attend the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain, which will be held in Qatar on March 27.

The clash between the champions of America and Europe is the last official event before the ‘Albiceleste’ begins the fight for the fourth World Cup title in North America (from June 11 to July 19).

“Coordinated attack”

The AFA denied last Friday having “any outstanding debt related to the tax obligations cited as the basis for the complaint filed by ARCA.”

“ARCA intends to consider these obligations, which have not yet matured and which it cannot even collect, as the basis for the possible practice of a tax crime, in flagrant contradiction with the current legal norms,” adds the entity.

Besides this case, the AFA is also being investigated for possible money laundering. The organization was the target of a search and seizure operation last December to collect documents related to suspicious transactions with a private financial institution.

The association attributed the judicial decisions to a “coordinated attack” by the government of Argentina's president, Javier Milei.

The AFA argued that the legal proceedings against it are a response to pressure to impose the conversion of clubs into sports corporations, like the SAFs in Brazil, a model supported by Milei and widely rejected by Argentine football.

After the suspension of the ninth round, deputy Silvana Giudici, from the ruling party, assured the LN+ channel that “there is no political persecution” and that the accusations made by the government are “appropriate.”

“I hope the clubs realize this and do not become hostages of these individuals,” she said, referring to Tapia and his treasurer, Pablo Toviggino.

Tapia, 58, is also frequently accused of favoring referees in favor of Barracas Central, a club he presided over and which is currently managed by his son.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.