A new scandal has erupted in the Argentine Football Association (AFA) following the leak of chat conversations from the messaging app 'WhatsApp'. The chats involve Argentine referee Luis Lobo Medina and Juan Pablo Beacon, the son of a Rio Negro football leader and a former right-hand man to Pablo Toviggino, the AFA's treasurer. The leaked messages, reported by the Argentine News Agency (NA), suggest match-fixing. According to the conversations, the referee requested a sum of money to officiate certain matches, specifically involving Tigre. The leak comes as Beacon, who is under investigation in a money laundering case linked to the AFA and Sur Finanzas, is reportedly becoming a collaborating witness after a fallout with Toviggino last September. The scandal began with a message from Beacon, identifying himself as a 'friend of Pablo' and inviting the referee to an office on October 12, the day of Tigre's match against Mitre. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. The day before, Beacon, who is being investigated for the purchase of a mansion in Pilar, spoke with his then-friend Pablo Toviggino, saying: 'He's asking for 400, Lobito, can we manage it?'. Federal Capital Coalition deputy Facundo Del Gaiso announced he will file a complaint against Lobo Medina, stating that referees must explain this scandal to justice and questioning whether it is part of a scam, online gambling business, or mafia activity. Luis Lobo Medina gained prominence in early 2025 after a controversial match between Barracas Central and Banfield.
