Felix Lasarte hails Claudio Tapia ahead of 2026 World Cup summit | OneFootball

The president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, held high-level meetings in the capital of the United States, as well as in Palm Beach, Florida, reaffirming the global interest in Argentine football and consolidating the association as one of the most relevant on the world stage.

Among the meetings he held, one took place at Mar-a-Lago with Felix Lasarte, advisor to the President’s Intelligence Commission, where an invitation emerged for the AFA’s top official to meet with Trump at the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Hours after the meeting with the head of Argentine football, Lasarte himself dedicated some heartfelt words on his official Instagram account, where he shared some “details” of the meeting they held at the famous and luxurious property in Palm Beach.

  See this post on Instagram   A post shared by Lasarte Law (@felixlasarte)

“Honored to share a memorable evening during dinner with Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association. In the midst of lively discussions about the beautiful game, we celebrated the bold investments by AFA that are transforming the football landscape throughout the United States, from youth academies to world-class events,” he wrote.

In another passage, the presidential advisor also emphasized: “And let’s not forget Mr. Tapia’s genuine admiration for President Trump—as he put it, ‘A leader who knows how to score big victories!’”

In addition to Lasarte, Tapia held meetings with Laura Ortiz Rodriguez, Senior Communications Advisor to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Maria Pia Tamburri, the highest-ranking Argentine to have served in the US Government and former spokesperson for President George W. Bush, Emirati businessman Tajeddine Seif, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, important partners as Miami continues to emerge as a global events hub.

But the political detail is that this visit took place after Javier Milei decided not to travel, creating diplomatic tension. The United States was expecting his presence to reinforce the bilateral alignment built over recent months, within the framework of the economic rescue that was key to the continuity of Argentina’s financial program.

On his agenda, the head of the AFA held meetings with US officials involved in organizing the World Cup and in shaping global sports policies. The presence of the Argentine official helped maintain the institutional bridge at a time when the White House was expecting clear signals of continuity in the relationship between the nations.

During the conclave, strategic issues regarding logistics, infrastructure, and coordination between the countries were discussed. For the American organizers, Argentina’s presence was indispensable, as the country remains a relevant player within the FIFA ecosystem and a valuable partner for global events.

The scenario gained a political layer because, in parallel, the national government had been intensifying its criticism of the AFA leadership. Officials and journalists aligned with the administration even questioned figures like Lionel Messi for appearing close to Tapia, suggesting they should stay out of it. The strongest comment came from Patricia Bullrich, who publicly called for the Argentine captain “to step aside”.

The head of the AFA also took advantage of the meeting to exchange information with officials involved in the strategic planning of the World Cup. In the halls of Mar-a-Lago, his presence was seen as a reaffirmation of the weight of Argentine football on a global scale.

Guillermo Tofoni to be sued in the United States for damage caused to the image of the AFA

Behind the scenes at Mar-a-Lago, it became known that in the coming hours there would be bad news for businessman Guillermo Tofoni, who improperly used the AFA brand for organizing friendly matches.

According to some sources consulted, Tofoni is expected to be sued in the United States with the backing of international football organizations, and of politicians, for the damage caused to the image of the AFA and its officials by his false allegations.

The complaint against Tofoni would be filed by Regalado with the support of FIFA for the disrepute caused by his false accusations against the AFA in a lawsuit he lost in Argentina, the contractual jurisdiction country.

It is worth recalling that in September 2023 federal judge Julián Ercolini acquitted Tapia in the case initiated by Tofoni, who claimed in his lawsuit that his company World Eleven was harmed by the AFA due to an alleged breach of contract that gave the businessman the authority to organize friendly matches for the Argentine national team. Later, the Court of Criminal Cassation revoked the injunction requested by Tofoni and upheld the lower court’s ruling.

Additionally, at the end of the same year, Commercial Court No. 8 accepted the precautionary measure requested by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and prohibited Tofoni from conducting business with the AFA brand without authorization.

In that ruling, the court required him and his company to “remove from their website, platform, social networks and/or any other medium all references, logos, brand names, distinctive signs relating to and/or owned by the AFA.”

The AFA accused the businessman of “fraudulently and improperly using the name, image, brands and reputation exclusively owned by the AFA, without authorization and presenting himself as the exclusive agent for international matches,” seeking to obtain benefits for his company without the consent or assignment from the Viamonte entity.

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