Senior Argentine football officials categorically denied reports that the president of the local association and its treasurer were detained and questioned while leaving the United States after the 2026 World Cup final.

However, the Argentine Football Association acknowledged a U.S. investigation targeting a third party with ties to the association.

The association issued a statement following media reports that its president Claudio Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York before boarding the plane that carried the national team back to Argentina after losing the final to Spain on Sunday.

According to the reports, the two were detained for questioning and had their electronic devices confiscated by U.S. authorities, before being summoned to appear in court regarding the association's international contracts.

But the Argentine association's statement denied all these allegations, calling them 'completely false.'

A source at the association told AFP: 'It's all lies,' while the FBI declined to comment. The association acknowledged that a court in Florida had issued a subpoena targeting a 'third party.' It clarified that this person 'was asked to appear before a grand jury and provide any documents and correspondence that may be linked to a number of individuals, including officials' in the association.

The Argentine Football Association, led by Tapia—one of the most influential figures in football—has been subject to several investigations in Argentina since 2017. One investigation focuses on money laundering suspicions, while another involves tax evasion.

Under the leadership of Tapia, a former union leader, the association's relationship with the administration of far-right President Javier Milei has become strained.

Tapia, for example, strongly opposes the president's ultraliberal desire to privatize football clubs across the country."); googletag.cmd.push(function() { onDvtagReady(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3341368-4'); }); }); }