Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia was reelected until 2028 on Thursday. The election was held at the AFA’s General Assembly and was merely a confirmation of Tapia’s new term as he was running unopposed.
The election took place against the backdrop of growing tension between the AFA and the Milei administration. The Judicial Inspection Board (IGJ, for its Spanish initials) said on Wednesday that the election was illegal and warned that the government could take over the AFA if it carried on. The IGJ is a Justice Ministry organism in charge of monitoring civil and commercial associations in Buenos Aires City.
Tapia called the election a “historic day for this institution’s democratization” and took a jab at the government in the ongoing legal battle regarding the legalization of the private sports corporations (SADs, by its Spanish acronym) model in Argentina.
“The [2022] World Cup winners were trained by you, our clubs,” he said, adding that “the best players in the world” are developed by the institutions represented at the assembly by their elected presidents.
“When we say we don’t want a different model, this is one of the reasons.”
The Tapia reelection despite government objections was not the only controversial decision the assembly made. They also annulled all relegation from the 2024 Primera Division. This means the 2025 tournament will go back to 30 teams in total, with the competition format yet to be formalized.
South American football confederation Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez congratulated Tapia via his X. “This achievement is a recognition of your leadership and dedication to Argentine football,” he wrote.
Will the government do an AFA takeover?
The AFA assembly that officialized Tapia’s reelection was in doubt after IGJ head Daniel Vitolo admitted on Wednesday that the government could take over AFA if the organization didn’t abide by its decision to overrule the assembly.
On Tuesday, the IGJ had declared that the October 17 election was invalid following a complaint submitted by Talleres president Andrés Fassi.
Fassi was protesting the decision to stage the assembly five months ahead of schedule and claimed there was no reason to hold snap elections. According to his complaint, they were being held “in an unconsultative, unlawful manner and in violation of the [AFA] bylaws and [Argentine] law.”
Vitolo clarified that he couldn’t ban the meeting at AFA headquarters but that it wouldn’t be an assembly. “It’ll be a friends gathering, because it won’t be valid,” he said to Radio Rivadavia.
The IGJ head stated that the AFA board members were “breaking the law and their own rules.” He added that they could commit a “crime of disobedience,” which he argued was grounds for government intervention if they did not comply with legal demands.
The elections, however, were confirmed late on Wednesday after a civil court gave AFA the green light to hold the assembly, arguing the IGJ ruling is not final since the football governing body is still within the time frame to appeal.
What happens if the government takes over AFA?
World football’s governing body FIFA is known to reject the intervention of local governments in its member associations.
Last December, the Rio de Janeiro Court dismissed Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues after finding irregularities in the election process. At the time, FIFA pointed out that under no circumstances would they accept government intervention in its member federations.
Because of this, they wouldn’t recognize the authority of the interventor designated by the Rio de Janeiro Court. Exclusion of Brazilian national teams and all clubs from every international competition was also voiced as a potential consequence.
The situation came to an end when Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Gilmar Mendes overturned the decision by the Rio de Janeiro Court in response to a complaint filed by Brazil’s Communist Party.
In 2017, FIFA suspended the Malian Football Federation (FMF) after considering there was “undue interference” after the country’s sports minister dissolved the FMF’s executive committee.
Should a similar situation befall Argentina between IGJ and AFA, it could prove catastrophic for the Argentine men’s national football team. Coach Lionel Scaloni’s squad is fresh off back-to-back Copa América titles and currently leads the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
It would also be bad news for Copa Libertadores semifinalists River Plate, as well as Copa Sudamericana final four contenders Racing Club and Lanús if the measure extends itself to Argentine clubs participating in international competitions.