Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia in court over withheld contributions row | OneFootball

The president of the AFA, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, has a key appointment this Thursday at 12:00 at the Economic Criminal Court. He will have to testify before Judge Diego Amarante as part of an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of more than $19.353 billion. The amount corresponds to tax withholdings and social security contributions that were reportedly not settled correctly between March 2024 and September 2025.

Tapia’s appearance comes just 24 hours after the entity’s treasurer, Pablo Toviggino, did the same by submitting a written statement. Despite Tapia’s defense team’s attempts to have the summons declared null, the court upheld the process. As a precautionary measure, the judge imposed a travel ban on both officials, although Tapia already has a special permit to travel to the World Cup in the United States, which begins in just four months.

The background of this legal case is marked by strong political tension. The leadership on Viamonte Street maintains that the investigation is a maneuver driven by Javier Milei’s administration as part of the dispute over Sports Joint Stock Companies (SAD). This stance was backed last weekend with a total football strike across all categories, a show of force by the clubs to express their support for the AFA leadership in the face of what they consider an offensive by the National Government.

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