The interviewed AFA president, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, traveled to the United States and attended a conclave at Mar-a-Lago, the exclusive residence of Donald Trump. The visit, which came hours after the 2026 World Cup draw, carried great political weight as Tapia held high-level meetings with North American officials and businesspeople.
Tapia’s presence among renowned officials from the United States comes in parallel with the fight with the national government, which in these days has increased its criticism of the leadership of the AFA, with officials and journalists allied to the ruling party even questioning the closeness of Lionel Messi to the organization’s president.
Tapia has been embroiled in scandal due to the questioning of the leadership of the Argentine Football Association. In this context, National Minister Patricia Bullrich called on Argentina captain Lionel Messi to “get out of the way”.
Tapia’s presence came at a crucial moment, filling the “void” left by the cancellation of Javier Milei’s presidential trip to Washington, which had caused “diplomatic noise” in bilateral relations.
Is Tapia meeting Donald Trump?
During the dinner organized at Mar-a-Lago, Tapia had a long conversation with Félix Lasarte, advisor to the President’s Intelligence Commission.
According to news outlets, the dialogue resulted in an invitation for the AFA’s supreme leader to meet with Donald Trump at the White House before the World Cup.
The Argentine presence was interpreted in Washington as a necessary institutional gesture, with Tapia taking on the role of interlocutor at a time of diplomatic tension.
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