River Plate announced Thursday that the club will no longer take part in the AFA executive committee meetings, exposing a fault-line between one of the nation’s biggest clubs and football authorities.
The club’s authorities said that decision-making mechanisms at the Argentine Football Association are unclear and should be rectified.
The Buenos Aires club said it “believes that under the current functioning of the Executive Committee there are no procedural guarantees necessary to ensure a clear and predictable decision-making process within that body,” according to a statement published on its X social media account.
The institution – one of Argentina’s most popular and storied clubs – reiterated a previous call for a 20-team first division tournament, as existed until 2015, rather than the current 30-team format. River’s directors believe the current system reduces the competition’s overall competitiveness.
River’s withdrawal from the committee, which is made up of representatives from member clubs, comes a day after changes were announced to the domestic championship affecting qualification for South America’s international tournaments from 2028.
It also follows confirmation of the suspension of the ninth round of the Apertura tournament, requested by clubs in solidarity with AFA, which is facing a complaint over alleged tax evasion, and its leadership
Matches scheduled between Thursday and Sunday will instead be played on the weekend of May 3, football authorities announced this week, confirming the blackout.
AFA, federation president Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia and four other officials are under investigation in a case seeking to determine whether the governing body withheld and failed to deposit funds corresponding to taxes and pension contributions.
The alleged irregularities – which are denied by Argentine football’s governing body – are said to have occurred between 2024 and 2025 and involve sums close to 19 billion pesos (around US$13 million).
In a club statement, River also stated that discussions within the Executive Committee “must take place through clear and predictable procedures: with issues included on the agenda with sufficient notice and submitted to a vote by the relevant members.”
The Núñez-based side club did not specify the particular situations that prompted its decision to withdraw.
Local media highlighted again AFA’s controversial decision to award Rosario Central a title last season for finishing with the most points in the annual table – a distinction not provided for in the competition’s regulations. AFA introduced at the last minute, during that day’s meeting, without prior notice to the clubs.
Thursday’s announcement comes in the same week that River confirmed Eduardo ‘Chacho’ Coudet as the side’s new head coach, replacing club idol Marcelo Gallardo, who resigned after a run of poor results at the end of last month.
River’s full statement
In light of information that has circulated in recent hours, Club Atlético River Plate wishes to clarify to its members, supporters and the wider sporting community the nature of its relationship with the Argentine Football Association.
Since 2013, River Plate has maintained a clear position regarding the direction Argentine football should take. In that regard, the club has consistently promoted – among other measures – the need to consolidate a professional competition with a 20-team tournament, accompanied by the generation of resources to support the growth of all clubs within our football structure.
River Plate also reaffirms its historic defence of the non-profit civil association model and expresses its recognition of the Argentine Football Association’s defence of the current pension contribution regime applicable to the activity.
River Plate strongly believes in the harmonious functioning of institutions and in the value of collective bodies in decision-making. Nevertheless, it considers that under the current functioning of the Executive Committee there are no procedural guarantees necessary to ensure a clear and predictable decision-making process within that body.
Our institution believes that discussions about the future of Argentine football must take place through clear and predictable procedures: with issues included on the agenda with sufficient advance notice and submitted to a vote by the relevant members. On numerous occasions, the operating dynamics observed have not reflected these mechanisms, resulting in processes that are less transparent than those to which River Plate is accustomed within the functioning of its own Board of Directors.
For this reason – and until the aforementioned mechanisms are corrected – the club has decided not to take part in meetings of the Executive Committee of the Argentine Football Association.
– TIMES/AFP/NA/PERFIL
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