The head of the General Inspectorate of Justice (IGJ), Daniel Vitoloexplained this Sunday why the organization has decided to take action against them now Argentine Football Association (AFA), when discrepancies regarding the functioning of the leading association had already been reported in previous years Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia.
During his time at economic community (LN+)the program moderated by José Del Rio, Vitolo He also addressed the origin of the conflict and the reasons that led to the current legal confrontation.
As he explained, the observations about how the AFA works are not new. However, he emphasized: “Since 2017, the AFA has been asked to provide certain papers.” Observations were made by the authorities from 2017 to 2024, the AFA did not respond and was never notified.“, he remarked.
He then emphasized that there was a paradigm shift when Javier Milei came to power: “In 2024, when they present the new balance sheet, we generate new observations and inform for all the previous ones who did not respond.. “There is a legal and regulatory dispute.”
During the interview, the official pointed out that the escalation originated between the IGJ and Tapia two decisions by the AFA. The first, he explained, was “the decision of the AFA Executive Committee to convene a meeting to pursue the re-election of the entire leadership body for five years, one year before the expiration of the mandate.” The second was in connection with a legal reform passed at the end of 2023.
“It was a legal reform that was unanimously approved by all clubs at the end of December 2023 to ensure the political protection of the AFA,” he explained. In this framework, he specified that the changes included the installation of three council members with voice but without voting rights, with specific requirements: “They must be a current president, a current vice president, a governor, a deputy or a current national senator.” Vitolo said this change was rejected by the organization at the time of its registration.
When asked what steps to follow, The head of the General Inspectorate of Justice referred to the powers that the organization has for these types of cases. “We must once again call for the opening of a preventive procedure under threat of the corresponding sanctions,” he explained, adding that “the request for administrative supervision so that the AFA can intervene in the accounting part” is also being examined.
Finally, when asked about the possible end of impunity in football, Vitolo answered categorically: “I hope it ends.” But there are problems that do not depend on us. At our institution, we monitor the activities of the AFA to ensure compliance with its statutes. In addition, there is the justice sector, which also has to investigate corruption scenarios.“.
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