SOCCER: Argentina football association denies Tapia was mummoned by US courts

Argentina’s football association (AFA) on Wednesday denied reports that its president Claudio Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino had been ordered to testify by U.S. courts, calling the claims “completely untrue.”

The AFA confirmed that a third party had been summoned to appear before a U.S. grand jury and could provide evidence related to several individuals, including officials connected to the organization. However, it emphasized that neither Tapia nor Toviggino was personally targeted by U.S. authorities.

Local media reported that FBI agents detained Tapia and Toviggino at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday morning as they were preparing to board a charter flight carrying the Argentina squad after the World Cup final. The reports also claimed authorities requested access to Tapia’s devices.

Infobae reported that U.S. authorities were investigating more than $300 million in AFA-related commercial contracts as part of broader scrutiny into Argentine football finances following December raids linked to a money-laundering investigation.

A witness at the airport said federal agents questioned Tapia and Toviggino for about 30 minutes on a bus parked on the tarmac while the Argentina team prepared for departure.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey referred Reuters’ questions to the FBI, which declined to comment.

In a statement, the AFA rejected the reports and said there had been no seizure of electronic devices belonging to Tapia or Toviggino.

“It is absolutely false to claim that Claudio Tapia or Pablo Toviggino have been summoned to testify by the United States justice system,” the association said. “It is also false to claim that their cell phones or any other electronic devices have been seized.”

The AFA added that the court document cited in the reports did not impose any personal measures on its president or treasurer, did not require their appearance, and did not order any seizure or confiscation of their property. -Reporting by Lucila Sigal in Buenos Aires and Maria Tsvetkova in New York, Writing by Natalia Siniawski, Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Toby Davis/Reuters