Court Clears AFA Chief Claudio Tapia to Travel as Clubs Halt Next League Round

Overview

• Judge Diego Amarante lifted last week's travel ban and authorized Tapia to leave Argentina between February 23 and 28 upon a 5 million peso bail.
• Tapia sought trips to a Colombian Football Federation event in Barranquilla and a CONMEBOL council meeting in Rio de Janeiro during that window.
• Argentina’s clubs unanimously requested, and the AFA confirmed, suspension of the Apertura’s ninth round scheduled for March 5–8.
• Tapia, the AFA treasurer, and three directors have been summoned to testify on March 5 in a case stemming from an ARCA complaint over roughly 19 billion pesos in alleged unpaid taxes from March 2024 to September 2025.
• The AFA denies any outstanding tax debt and calls the actions politically motivated, as a separate money-laundering probe continues after December search-and-seizure operations, and the ruling is expected to allow Tapia to attend the March 27 Finalissima in Qatar.