U.S. Ambassador Calls AFA President's Trump Visit a Domestic Matter

The U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Peter Lamelas, played down the visit of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) president, Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia, to Donald Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago and asserted that the episode 'means nothing' in political or diplomatic terms. The diplomat defined the dispute between the government of Javier Milei and the leadership of Argentine football as 'a domestic issue.' The statements from the U.S. diplomat were aimed at preventing any geopolitical or political interpretations of Tapia's trip to the exclusive Florida complex, at a time when the AFA is under public scrutiny for its financial statements and for official suspicions of alleged irregularities in its administration. 'Everyone who goes to Mar-a-Lago wants to take a photo,' Lamelas emphasized. In this context, he underscored that the United States respects the country's institutional framework and that any process related to alleged irregularities must follow the appropriate legal course. The diplomat's stance also seeks to preserve bilateral relations between the two countries from forced interpretations, at a moment when the Milei government is betting on a strong political and strategic rapport with Washington while maintaining a critical discourse towards structures it identifies as part of the 'old system,' including the football leadership. In this way, the U.S. Embassy distanced itself from the controversy and made it clear that a private visit or a circumstantial photo at Mar-a-Lago does not constitute any political backing, nor does it imply institutional recognition, nor does it alter the official U.S. position on Argentina's internal affairs. 'So, the gesture was to go and take a photo,' Lamelas summarized. From official sectors, the visit was met with suspicion in the context of administrative investigations and demands for greater control over the entity that regulates professional football. However, the ambassador carefully avoided delving into the background of the conflict, refrained from commenting on the cross-allegations, and limited himself to reaffirming his confidence in the functioning of the Argentine judicial system. 'It is a domestic issue. Any alleged irregularity must be evaluated and resolved exclusively through local institutional channels,' he concluded.