Overview
- Federal police entered the Argentine Football Association headquarters in Buenos Aires on Tuesday after a federal judge in Lomas de Zamora authorized coordinated searches.
- Officers carried out roughly 25 to 30 raids at teams and private homes, including at Racing Club, San Lorenzo, Independiente and Banfield, according to a police source.
- Agents are targeting transactions and accounting material linked to Sur Finanzas, a football sponsor at the center of the suspected money-laundering scheme.
- The probe follows a recent tax authority complaint accusing Sur Finanzas of dodging taxes on pesos equivalent to about $550 million, and media reports say investigators are examining possible loans-for-benefits arrangements such as broadcasting rights.
- The operation carries governance overtones for Argentine football as observers note potential friction between AFA chief Claudio Tapia and President Javier Milei, while the AFA, Sur Finanzas and prosecutors have not issued detailed public responses.