The confrontation between the government and the leadership of the AFA added a new chapter this Monday. The senator Patricia Bullrich filed a formal complaint with Conmebol against Claudio “Chiqui” TapiaPresident of the company, and Pablo Toviggino, treasurer and one of the most influential executives in local football.
The presentation comes amid allegations made in court against both leaders over their alleged links to investigated companies and over the purchase of a mansion in Pilar. The AFA responded to the government with a statement distancing itself from the questions.
“This complaint is filed against Claudio Fabián Tapia and Pablo Toviggino for alleged violations of the Conmebol Code of Ethics and Conmebol’s Anti-Corruption, Anti-Bribery and Compliance Policy, in particular with regard to the principles of integrity, fiduciary duty, conflict of interest, transparency in contracting, appropriate use of resources and prevention of money laundering within member associations.“, begins the text that Bullrich presented to the body that governs South American football and whose chairman is Alejandro Domínguez.
Before the Conmebol Ethics Court, Bullrich requested: a) the initiation of a preliminary investigation in accordance with the current Code of Ethics, b) the assessment of the reported behavior in the light of the Anti-Corruption, Anti-Bribery and Compliance Policy and c) the adoption of the appropriate measures, including disciplinary sanctionsif the reported violations are proven.
“You need to thoroughly investigate this mafia,” Bullrich later tweeted.who had warned that upon his return to Congress he would take strong action against the AFA leaders. He did so days later, attacking Tapia and Toviggino, who are today due to the endless ramifications of the case initiated by a complaint from the DGI and in which the company South Financeclosely associated with the head of the AFA, the treasurer and several clubs, for which $818 billion in suspected money laundering.
I reported Tapia and Toviggino to the CONMEBOL Ethics Committee. They must thoroughly investigate this mafia that runs the AFA and is smearing Argentine football.
About the mansions, Ferraris and all the dirty money we’ve seen on the news, I wonder:
– Where is the… pic.twitter.com/d9RMOaPGmD
— Patricia Bullrich (@PatoBullrich) December 15, 2025
Out of South Finance caseAs part of the investigation by the prosecutor Cecilia Incardona and the federal judge of Lomas de Zamora Federico Villena, raids have been carried out in recent days at the AFA headquarters and 18 clubs of different categories.
There are a parallel causeled by Judge Luis Armella, who was already investigating the company of the financier Ariel Vallejo and its connection to the Banfield club and its former leadership, also for alleged money laundering.
There are also a third file which began under the influence of Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas and was later transferred to the white-collar criminal justice system – it fell in Court 10 of Marcelo Aguinsky – which culminated Largest luxury vehicle hijacking in recent years. It was located in a mansion in the Villa Rosa de Pilar neighborhood: a fleet of 54 luxury vehicles was confiscated there.
Both the looted property – which Carlos Tevez owned years ago – and The vehicles are in the name of the company Real Central SRLwhose owners are AFA boss Luciano Pantano and his retired mother Ana Lucía Conte. None of them had the economic capacity to acquire goods of this type and the citizens’ coalition called for an investigation to be carried out to determine whether the true owners are Toviggino or Tapia.
The government’s idea is gaining ground to first take action against Conmebol through sporting measures and, in any case, to continue to pursue complaints to the local judiciary, especially the DGI. They do not want the move to be seen as a maneuver against the AFA, months before the national team takes part in the 2026 World Cup.
From Bullrich’s presentation: The AFA responded with a statement defending Tapia’s management and condemned a “coordinated attack” by Javier Milei’s government.
The AFA not only listed a long list of sporting achievements and described the situation in which the company found itself when Tapia took office in 2017, but also pointed out that all grievances affecting management were related an intention by the executive branch to divert attention from the country’s political and social situation.
“More than 90,000 jobs were lost from November 2023 to date, more than 20 major companies and factories across the country closed their plants due to the massive increase in imports and the extreme decline in consumption. “Given this dramatic context of the country and the focus on issues that have nothing to do with the reality that we Argentines are living, we will not give you the rights anyway,” they claimed.
In order to differentiate himself from the last Kirchnerist government, he remarks on the leadership’s close ties to Sergio Massa: “Even today they insist on portraying us as a Peronist AFA, even though we were the ones who did not accompany the pressure to proselytize with our image.”
About The Author
