Milei and Chiqui Tapia row becomes a national political issue | OneFootball

President Javier Milei's clash with AFA president Claudio Chiqui Tapia has escalated into a national political issue. The AFA has suspended the ninth round of league fixtures due between Thursday five and Sunday eight of this month, with all categories stopping. Teams have lined up behind senior officials amid a judicial complaint over money laundering and other alleged offences.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the protest days coincide with court summonses for Tapia and AFA treasurer Pablo Toviggno in a case over alleged tax evasion and the withholding of contributions by the revenue agency.

Player strikes over pay were common in the 1970s, but the AFA had never taken such action. Its Executive Committee rejected the existence of any tax debt deemed immediately payable. Tapia also defended his honour and the federation on social media, saying the AFA belongs to everyone.

Tapia's position has been underpinned by the national team's success, two Copa América titles and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The dispute has also been linked to a government plan to allow sports joint-stock companies, opposed by many AFA clubs, while scrutiny of the leaders' lavish spending has intensified.

Tapia has long enjoyed the backing of Leo Messi, for whom he built a favourable environment around the national team. Attention now turns to whether Messi responds if the cases advance against a leader barred from leaving the country, or if Milei's personal feud with Tapia deepens. Milei, an anarcho-capitalist, has accused Tapia of ruining Argentine football.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo