Argentina. Buenos Aires. The Appeals Chamber has upheld the travel ban for the president and treasurer of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia and Pablo Toviggino. Both are defendants in a case over the alleged misappropriation of taxes and social security funds. The ruling, issued by judges Roberto Hornos and Carolina Robiglio, rejected the defense's arguments. The court deemed it reasonable to keep them under judicial supervision. This decision, made just days after their formal indictment, is a strong signal of institutional weakness for a leadership accustomed to international freedom of movement. According to the judicial reconstruction, the AFA withheld amounts due to the treasury and the social security system but failed to deposit them on time. The ban is not absolute: Tapia and Toviggino can request permission to leave the country, but each time it will be at the discretion of Judge Diego Amarante. Consequently, their presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, starting on June 11 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, now depends on a judicial decision. The case originated from a complaint by the ARCA organization, which highlighted the alleged improper retention of over $19.353 million between March 2024 and September 2025. For the AFA leadership, the situation is becoming increasingly serious, as the judiciary does not relent and the case continues to advance, narrowing the scope to frame the matter as political persecution.
