The Argentine Football Association (AFA) said Friday it has “no enforceable tax debt” and described a court decision summoning its president, Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia, for questioning as unjustified.
In a ruling disclosed Thursday, a judge barred Tapia from leaving the country and ordered him, along with other senior officials at Argentine football’s governing body, to appear in court from March 5. The measure stems from a complaint filed by the federal revenue agency ARCA over suspected tax evasion and the alleged misappropriation of social security funds.
In a statement, AFA insisted it owes no enforceable debt “as contained in the complaint filed by ARCA.” The association argued that the tax authority is attempting to treat obligations that have not yet fallen due — and are therefore not enforceable — as the basis for a potential criminal offence.
It said the alleged wrongdoing is a “non-existent crime,” branding the summons of its leadership “premature and legally baseless.”
The move marks the latest court action involving the head of the world champion federation. Tapia has previously claimed such measures form part of a “coordinated attack” by the government of President Javier Milei.
AFA also complained that it is “the only entity” to have faced a criminal complaint from ARCA to date, suggesting that other organisations in a similar position have not been subjected to the same treatment or accusations.
Last year, the association linked court actions against it to pressure to force through the conversion of clubs into sports corporations – a model backed by Milei but broadly rejected across Argentine football.
TIMES/AFP
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