Key Takeaways
- The inner circle of AFA Treasurer Pablo Toviggino is alleged to have managed nearly 50 profitable football player transfers (valued at over $100k each) involving clubs like Central Córdoba, Arsenal, and teams in Paraguay through shell companies.
- These illicit transfer activities are the latest in a series of financial misconduct allegations against Toviggino, including the alleged diversion of $42 million from national team earnings, investigation into a $20 million mansion, and $375 million pesos in fraudulent invoicing.
- Toviggino’s influence in football is closely tied to political power, stemming from his relationship with Santiago del Estero officials, particularly Senator Gerardo Zamora, whose provincial government heavily subsidizes Central Córdoba.
The inner circle of Pablo Toviggino, the powerful Treasurer of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and a key ally of President Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, has been implicated in a sophisticated scheme involving the transfer of nearly fifty professional football players. The alleged operation, which involved transfers valued at no less than $100,000 each, adds a new dimension to the mounting corruption investigations already facing the AFA executive.
Sources consulted by *Clarín* suggest that Toviggino’s associates “designed a sophisticated mechanism” utilizing management contracts and power structures with various clubs to facilitate these transfers. The clubs involved included Central Córdoba (Santiago del Estero), Arsenal de Sarandí, Sol de Mayo, Sarmiento de Junín, and various teams in Paraguay. The scheme allowed intermediaries—companies linked to Toviggino’s associates—to secure substantial commissions on the initial sale and often on future transfers, benefiting from the movements of players like “Papu” Gómez, Leonel Picco, and Jonathan Galván.
The companies reportedly used for these transactions include Malte SRL and Fútbol Capital. Investigators describe the corporate structure as a “Russian matrioshka doll,” where one firm holds shares in another, effectively masking Toviggino’s involvement while placing his close friends and trusted associates—such as Beacon, a former Patagonian Football Federation president who advised the AFA Federal Council—at the helm. Malte SRL had previously managed Arsenal de Sarandí.
This alleged transfer racket is the newest scandal surrounding the AFA Treasurer. Toviggino is already facing scrutiny regarding a $20 million mansion in Pilar, an investigation into the reported diversion of $42 million from the $300 million earned by the national team from its international image rights and friendly matches, and a new complaint filed last week by Argentina’s Tax Agency (ARCA) concerning $375 million pesos in fictitious invoices issued to 15 questionable suppliers.
Toviggino’s rise to prominence is deeply intertwined with regional politics. Although he is often associated with Central Córdoba, judicial sources clarified that he was never its president or even a member. Instead, he served as vice president of Comercio Central Unidos (a club that recently suffered a tribune collapse) before presiding over the Santiago del Estero Football League, which facilitated his connection with former Governor Gerardo Zamora and his subsequent entry into the AFA structure under Tapia.
The political patronage is evident in Central Córdoba’s funding. According to a judicial report, $22.9 million pesos paid to the club originated from the Santiago del Estero provincial government, often channeled through a $11 million pesos publicity agreement, with the remainder coming from the AFA itself.
Senator Gerardo Zamora, the former governor and political ally of Toviggino, defended the provincial government’s substantial subsidies to Central Córdoba. He argued that the funding, which represents a small fraction of the state’s overall sports budget, was essential for the team’s success, stating that it allowed the team to compete in the Copa Libertadores and defeat Flamengo in the Maracaná stadium.
However, the internal management of the club remains troubled. Last September, Central Córdoba’s treasurer, José Hache, resigned over “unclear maneuvers” related to the $100,000 loan acquisition of injured player Flavio Cabral, a move that reportedly caused friction with the club president. The sustained allegations of systematic financial opacity suggest a powerful network operating beneath the surface of Argentine football governance, utilizing Toviggino’s official position for private gain.