In Solidarity With Chief Tapia! Argentina League MD 9 Suspended Due To...

Last Updated:February 24, 2026, 10:08 IST

The ninth round of Argentina's Apertura tournament was suspended on Monday at the request of football clubs, in solidarity with the AFA.

Argentina’s domestic football league suspended its ninth matchday on Monday in support of Argentine Football Association chief Claudio Tapia, who was permitted to leave the country by a court despite facing an ongoing tax fraud investigation.

The court’s decision, announced five days after Tapia was initially barred from leaving the country due to the investigation, stated, “The mere existence of a criminal investigation does not in itself constitute sufficient grounds to prevent the applicant from traveling."

Tax authorities are probing whether the AFA illegally withheld retirement contributions from players and employees, failing to pay taxes amounting to approximately 19 billion pesos, around $13.8 million, between March 2024 and September 2025.

Tapia had sought permission to travel to attend a Colombian Football Federation event in Barranquilla, followed by a South American football federation (Conmebol) board meeting in Rio de Janeiro. The court set bail at five million pesos (approximately $3,500) to allow his departure.

Tapia, along with the AFA treasurer and three other officials, has been summoned to appear in court on March 5.

The ninth round of Argentina’s Apertura tournament was suspended on Monday at the request of football clubs, in solidarity with the AFA, as stated by the league in a statement. Club leaders called for a “work stoppage" between March 5 and March 8, according to the Liga Profesional de Futbol’s statement on X.

The AFA is also under investigation for alleged money laundering, which resulted in a search of its premises in December, along with several first division clubs like Racing, Independiente, and San Lorenzo. The AFA claims to be the target of a “smear campaign" amidst a dispute with a businessman over the organization of Argentina friendly internationals, alleging the involvement of President Javier Milei’s right-wing government. Milei supports converting non-profit football clubs into publicly traded sports companies, which AFA rules currently prohibit. This controversy coincides with a series of general strikes against Milei’s controversial labour reforms.

Following the football league’s strike announcement, pro-government lawmaker Silvana Giudici told local media that “there is no political persecution" in this case and that the government’s complaints were “appropriate." She expressed hope that the clubs would not become “hostages to these guys," referring to Tapia and AFA Treasurer Pablo Toviggino.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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