The corrupt president of the AFA received judicial permission to leave the country between May and July despite being prosecuted for alleged improper retention of contributions.
The big boss, along with other officials from the governing body of Argentine football, has been indicted since March in a case investigating an alleged multi-million debt of 19.3 billion pesos related to taxes and social security resources that, according to the accusation, would have been withheld and not properly paid.
Despite currently being embroiled in one of the most serious corruption cases in the history of Argentine football for alleged misappropriation of taxes and social security contributions, the Justice system authorized on Monday Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia to travel abroad for the 2026 World Cup and other sporting activities, although under strict conditions.
The controversial decision was made by the Economic Criminal Judge Diego Amarante, who allowed the unpresentable president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to leave the country between May 27 and July 21 heading to Hungary, the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As a requirement, the official must maintain a real guarantee of 30 million pesos to ensure his compliance with the judicial process.
The corrupt Tapia had requested authorization to fulfill various institutional commitments related to his role as the highest authority of Argentine football and a member of the CONMEBOL Board of Directors. The itinerary includes attendance at the Champions League final between Paris-Saint Germain and Arsenal in Budapest (on May 29 for the pre-ceremony and May 30 for the match), the friendlies of the Argentine National Team against Honduras and Iceland in the United States (on June 6 and 9 respectively), and subsequently the protocol activities related to the World Cup (from June 10 to July 19).
In the resolution, the magistrate stated that "there are no objective elements that prevent leaving the national territory" under the conditions proposed by the defense and emphasized that Tapia had already complied "in a timely manner" with previously granted travel permits.
At that time, the same judge indicted Tapia without preventive detention, imposed a seizure of 350 million pesos, and maintained the prohibition of leaving the country, a measure that was later ratified by the National Chamber of Appeals in Economic Criminal Matters.
Now, the court understood that the new request was duly justified and defined. Additionally, it assessed that there are no pending procedural acts that require the personal presence of the AFA president during the requested period.
The resolution also warns that any modification in the dates, destinations, or conditions reported could be interpreted as a violation of the commitments made before the Justice. In that case, the benefit could be revoked and the deposited guarantee executed.
Furthermore, before traveling, Tapia must sign a commitment document and, once he returns to the country, he must inform the court of his arrival within 48 hours. If he fails to do so, Amarante warned that he could be declared a fugitive and immediately ordered to be captured.
