The football season has started – much to Chiqui Tapia’s relief

As we mentioned last week, this summer in Argentina passed at a breakneck pace. The 2026 Liga Profesional de Fútbol is already underway, with more than half the league playing out their opening games by the time you peruse this column on Saturday morning.

Later today Marcelo Gallardo and River Plate will hope to get off on the right foot with a tricky away day at Barracas Central, before on Sunday, Boca Juniors kick off their own campaign at home to Riestra. There is still time for the Superclásico pairing and any of the 30 top-tier clubs to add new faces, with the final deadline for transfers set for Tuesday and possibly beyond that given the AFA's propensity for last-minute extensions.

Speaking of the Argentine Football Association, it has been a bleak summer indeed for those in charge at Viamonte. And it does not look like things will improve any time soon. A rather obscure financial scandal has enveloped the institution and overshadowed this return to competitive activities as the Tapia vs. Milei battle continues to unfold.

The focus of this scandal revolves around Sur Finanzas, a Buenos Aires-based financier. The company and its owner Ariel Vallejos are currently under investigation for money-laundering and tax evasion, related to alleged suspect movements in virtual wallets which totalled almost 900 billion pesos from 2022 to 2025. In the course of that investigation, Sur Finanzas' links to Tapia, the AFA and the world of Argentine football in general have come under close scrutiny.

Part of the case accuses the company of lending large sums of money to clubs at extortionate interest rates, with the governing body's full consent and even recommendation. 

San Lorenzo are one of the institutions said to have borrowed from Sur Finanzas under such conditions and, upon being unable to meet their obligations, were forced to cede part of their television rights as part of the payment. 

The investigation further claims that those television funds were channelled through a crypto blockchain tied to Sur Finanzas, directly deposited by the AFA.

As well as the Cuervo as many as 17 clubs, including Liga Profesional outfits Racing, Independiente and Banfield, are alleged to have held similar dealings with the financier.

Racing partnered with Sur Finanzas as one of the club's principal shirt sponsors and were raided by police back in December as part of the ongoing investigations. Following the search, La Academia released a statement assuring that the association with the company was purely commercial in nature and that it would not be renewed for 2026.

A parallel judicial investigation, meanwhile, alleges that the AFA has been withholding tax and social security contributions from clubs and employees without passing them over to the ARCA revenue authority, while yet another concerns the purchase of a sumptuous Pilar mansion and a fleet of luxury cars, allegedly linked to Tapia and AFA treasurer Pablo Toviggino. 

Unsurprisingly, the government of President Milei has seized the initiative against one of its principal foes, registering as a plaintiff in the missing contributions case.

The President himself launched one of his trademark tirades against Tapia back in December, accusing him of “destroying Argentine football” while speaking in glowing terms about “the chosen one” Juan Sebastián Verón, the Estudiantes de la Plata club chief who, lest we forget, is suspended from footballing activities after the Pincha turned its back on Rosario Central during their 'title' celebrations (remember that? It was barely two months ago!)

Just like his predecessor Julio Humberto Grondona, Tapia has so far shown an impressive knack for keeping out of harm's way, be it with Argentina's clubs or the authorities. Only time will tell if he can work out of this multi-front assault and maintain his grip on the AFA, but one thing is for sure: ‘Chiqui’ must have been counting down the hours until the season kicked off and we could return our attentions to what is going down on the pitch rather than off it.