The Boca Juniors football club facilities were raided Thursday by Argentine military police due to a ticket fraud investigation launched in 2022. The iconic La Bombonera stadium, the practice facilities at Casa Amarilla and the basketball stadium known as La Bombonerita were among the three locations raided.

The investigation that led to the raids started in October of 2022, when a District Attorney’s Office of the national judiciary received a legal complaint accusing members of the club board and the La Doce football firm (what is known in Argentine football as barrabravas) of collusion to commit fraud regarding ticket sales. Due to jurisdiction issues, the case was sent to the Buenos Aires City judiciary. 

According to a press release from the BA City Prosecutor’s Office (MPF, for its Spanish initials) on Thursday, the accusations in the legal complaint pointed to the printing of tickets for illegal resale, as well as crimes linked to street vending, clandestine parking, sale of club clothing outside official channels. 

The case was assigned to prosecutor Celsa Ramírez of Buenos Aires City’s Special Prosecutors Office in charge of Mass Events, who set out to investigate the last three Boca home games of the 2022 Liga Profesional, when Boca hosted Vélez Sarsfield (1-0), Aldosivi (2-1), and Independiente (2-2).

Thursday’s raids were carried out after the investigation found evidence sustaining the claim thanks to wiretaps placed on some of the suspects.

The MPF also confirmed raids on three private homes in Buenos Aires city and two in BA province, as well as several vehicles, all linked to people under investigation. Among those whose houses were raided are Cristian Riquelme, brother of Boca Vice President Juan Román Riquelme, and former professional footballer Luis Ángel Vildozo.

An MPF spokesperson confirmed to the Herald that La Bombonera will not be closed down. Asked who is being accused of running this scheme, they said that “what’s being investigated is a situation, not a particular person.”

Boca Juniors’ press representatives were contacted but declined to comment. 

This is not the first time Ramírez has been in charge of an investigation with Boca at its center. In October 2021, her office also raided La Bombonera as part of the investigation regarding an accusation that Boca was violating the attendance limitations imposed on mass events due to the Covid pandemic.

In February 2023, she ordered the closing of the third row of stands of La Bombonera due to fears the stadium could crumble following the publication of videos that seemed to show that the stadium was shaking.

“La Bombonera is looking beautiful, our people make the stadium more and more beautiful, it’s a party every time we play a home game. You would have to ask [prosecutor Ramírez] which club she supports,” Boca vice president and legend Juan Román Riquelme said at the time.

Boca is set to start its Copa de la Liga campaign on Friday at La Bombonera, against Platense.

–with information from Télam