The justice system has found a contract linking the Argentine Football Association (AFA) with a company based in the United States and owned by Javier Faroni, as part of an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of funds, which directly involves the head of the entity, Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia, and its treasurer, Pablo Toviggino. The discovery was made in the last hours during a raid at the old AFA headquarters, located at Viamonte 1300 in the City of Buenos Aires, and according to authorities, the document dates back to May 2021. Under this contract, the AFA granted TourProdEnter, run by Erica Gillette—Faroni's wife—the exclusivity to collect the funds received by the mother entity of Argentine football from friendlies, sponsorship, and broadcasting, among other items. According to what Noticias Argentinas agency learned, through that contract—signed by Tapia and Toviggino—Faroni's company kept 30% of the income generated by the AFA abroad, plus an additional ten percent for logistics tasks. Furthermore, the court in charge of the investigation has requested various reports from four American banks on money movements that also involve four other offshore companies. Meanwhile, Prosecutor Luis Armella ordered the lifting of the banking, fiscal, and financial secrecy of Faroni, in order to “reconstruct the money trail, identify final beneficiaries, and prevent the fragmentation of the evidence.” The businessman, for his part, was detained this morning at the Jorge Newbery Aeroparque, as he was about to travel to Uruguay, and moreover, the authorities of the Airport Security Police (PSA) retained his passport at the request of the prosecutor's office, for which reason he cannot leave the country. Under these circumstances, Faroni—feeling cornered—discarded a mobile phone, which has not yet been found, in a gesture that the authorities interpreted as an attempt to obstruct the investigation.
