Argentina players celebrate after defeating Egypt 3-2 in a Round of 16 FIFA World Cup match at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia on Tuesday. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
July 8 (UPI) -- As Argentina advances in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are said to be conducting a preliminary investigation into financial operations of the Argentine Football Association, or AFA, in the United States.
Investigators are seeking to determine how the AFA, led by President Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, channeled more than $300 million through the U.S. financial system and whether some of those transactions may have constituted crimes under U.S. jurisdiction, including money laundering or bank fraud, according to investigations by CNN Brasil and Argentina's La Nación newspaper.
So far, no criminal charges have been announced against the AFA or any of its executives.
Federal prosecutors and FBI agents based in Washington and Miami have begun interviewing individuals with knowledge of the organization's international business operations.
