“The pineapple came.” This phrase, which is more common in boxing than in football, illustrates the sentiment of some Argentine football leaders. Only the fundamentalists in the Tapia administration can ignore this The mood of football fans changed radically In the last ten days. What started on Puerto Madero’s charming Olga Kossetini street with hand-picked Rosario Central named as champion, ended with full stands singing the new old song: “Button Czech Tapia…”. It penetrated the local football climate: in addition to social networks, expressions against the President of the Asian Football Confederation reached parties…
They were very close to Tapia, and they knew that Canalla’s surprise headline-grabbing confession would spark controversy. Not everyone agreed on the office award – beyond the specific merits of Rosario’s team during the season -. “Checky has gone too far,” they admit. However, Tapia spoke at League headquarters, and as was customary, what the leader said became a “sacred word.” No opposition. No one could have imagined what would come next. How this snowball may be unstoppable, and how it will awaken political power and, above all, judicial power.
“Football has antibodies” says a source who has known Tapia for at least a decade. The “Czech” gene is not a vaccine, but it is carried in the DNA of many of those who direct the destinies of Argentine clubs. Above all, that promotion. Marcelo Acheli and Felipe “Toto” Evangelista all lectured at the alumni awards ceremony, held on Wednesday at Lionel Andres Messi’s estate in Ezeiza.
For Tapia to speak to the public – in fact, to Juan Sebastian Veron, President of Estudiantes, and Javier Miley, President of the Nation – a dedicated award was created (almost like the central address): Platinum graduatesWho was the first winner was the chief of San Juan himself. Previously, his club, Paracas Central, received awards for best visitor service and best stadium redesign.
“Everyone is united.” These two words were the motto of Achilles and Evangelista in Messi’s ownership. That unity is the leadership’s response to the chants of the masses, to the demands of the members; before “Media Operations” -As they call-. Tapia & Company’s corporatism is not new. The current leadership of the AFC has always dismissed those who dared to oppose the decision. Rodrigo Escribano knows this by heart, as he left a meeting as a representative of Talleres de Córdoba, being booed and disowned by his peers. What’s wrong with it? Think differently.
So the graduates were a showcase for the “Tapia Management” unit. Of course, there were no songs. No loud shouts. No rejoicing. Simply put, explicit support for the leader in the face of attacks. From partners. From fans. From communications… from the government. The strategy was replicated outwards: Commander Tapia is a lucky man. Fate gave him an extraordinary CONMEBOL conference at a time when he most needed a pat from his South American teammates. On the agenda of the meeting held on Friday in Lima (Peru), one point was the main one: the ratification of his position in FIFA, to complete the mandate begun by the ousted president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Ednaldo Rodriguez. Tapia himself was responsible for reporting what happened “Unanimously confirmed”. In Conmebol you vote.
After supporting football in South America. Tapia went for the ace of spades, namely Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA. Once the Argentine’s continuity issue was resolved, the supreme leader of world football took to his Instagram account, as he always does. He wrote a public letter to Tapia. In particular, he sent a congratulatory message to the AFC president, which the Tapia management was responsible for leaking. He added: “This result (its continuation) is a strong sign of confidence from FIFA’s member associations in South America, recognizing his experience and knowledge at the helm of the AFC, as well as his competence in sports management and sports management.” His human qualities“.
Football’s message – ‘antibodies’ in the face of crisis – is clear: Tapia is not alone. Or: “If they touch Czech, they also touch CONMEBOL and FIFA.” The AFC President himself made it clear during his speech with the Platinum graduates in hand: “People from outside don’t vote for me, leaders vote for me.” He remembered. It sounded like a warning. Another source in the administration expects: “It will not be easy to drop him. They cannot include him on the football side. They will try on the personal side. What he has and how to get it.”
Claudio Fabian Tapia, citizen, has a weak side: photos with Maximiliano Ariel Vallejo, CEO and owner of Sur Finanzas, the financial company in which justice is being sought for alleged money laundering. “There is not even a signed paper” between Tapia and Vallejothey repeat like a mantra at AFA. “Nothing, just another sponsor,” they claim when reminded of the number of clubs the company has sponsored – and sponsors -, including the professional league. In this sense, the Federal Prosecutor of Lomas de Zamora, Cecilia Incardona, asked Six football clubs raided: San Lorenzo, Racing, Temperley, Excursionistas, Los Andes, Defensores de Gli and Deportivo Moron.. Barracas Central did not appear in the application, although Sur Finanzas is Guapo’s main sponsor.
Down below, away from the microphones, the progress of the case worries more than one leader. Because of its unpredictability. No one knows how far investigators will pull the string. And what could come across. Until Thursday, those close to the president were convinced that the government would stop. He will not delve further into the company’s financial links to football. And they will not reach the president of the Asian Football Confederation, who I knew everything – and felt anxious – before traveling to Lima For the CONMEBOL Congress and the Copa Libertadores final.
The AFC is much more interested in the judicial aspect of progressing against the leader than the political profit that Juan Sebastian Veron, president of Estudiantes de la Plata, might get in return. Entrance gate. Tapia himself also spoke to the Little Witch, at the graduation party: “Conflicts happen from within, not from without. Discussions happen from within, face to face.” It was like passing a bill: Veron delegated representation at professional league meetings to his second-in-command, Pascual Caella.
Tapia knows the best thing that could happen to him is for the season to end. Far from companies defending leaders, the fate of management is decided on the playing field. It’s football in a nutshell. And there, in the stands, Now they insult the leader. They also do it at concerts, although Andres Calamaro instructed his fans to “tell Tapia to his face” what they think. It happened on Friday.
The 2026 World Cup draw scheduled in Washington (United States) next Friday will bring you some fresh air. Tapia will move among his peersThose who take a picture with him for being a “World Champion”. Those who congratulate him on Lionel Messi. A leader needs a supportive embrace from the world of football, where he is respected and where it does not matter that the AFC has sanctioned a coach – Walter Ota, of Deportivo Morón – for something he did not say, that is, that a title is invented from day to day – that of Rosario Central – or that the team – Estudiantes de la Plata – and the president – Veron – have been punished for a “backlash”. In the global party, there are no tragedies in Argentine football. There, Tapia is Messi’s advisor. Messi is a god, especially in the United States.
Plus, Tapia won’t have to see Miley. The president left the trip when he understood that the coincidence with the football president in time and place was not beneficial to him politically. Rather, it was brought up. The move was different: Patricia Bullrich – outgoing security minister, and incoming national senator – expected that she would investigate the AFA’s accounts. He promised, “There are many violations here, and I will focus on the Senate to study the transparency of a federation that is not just a federation, but the Argentine Football Association.”
No matter how much the AFC sells this managerial, corporate and comfortable union, the truth is that Tapia has its guard up. And nearby they talk about “press attacks”: “You made him angry with Veron’s impulsiveness.”A leader who agrees with the AFC President stands up for himself. “There are thousands of things wrong, but not all of them are that bad,” he says.
The last media pineapple Tapia received was an expected blow. It was presented to him by Guillermo Marconi – former referee and journalist – Secretary General of the Sports Referees Association of the Argentine Republic (Sadra). The Referees’ Association said: “Over the past seven years, we have publicly denounced numerous irregularities in arbitration appointments before the courts, as well as actions that demonstrated the manipulation of results.”
In his defence, Sadara accused the Asian Football Confederation of excluding the federation “unjustified.” By “creating parallel structures,” he denounced the “pressure” on rulers from multiple categories. “They have seriously damaged the credibility of arbitration across the country,” they attacked. In the Argentine Football Association, they are convinced that the anti-Tapia wave will not stop in the short term. They don’t know where it will end. Some, of course, blame the press. “They leave a lot to be desired. As much or more than ourselves.”