Argentine football body denies US detention reports about its leaders

Argentina's football federation denied reports that its president Claudio Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino were detained and questioned as they left the United States after the World Cup final.

The Argentine Football Association issued a statement after media reports said the two officials had been detained at New York's John F. Kennedy airport before boarding the flight carrying the national squad home after Argentina's loss to Spain on Sunday. The reports said US authorities questioned them, seized electronic devices, and summoned them to appear in court over the federation's international contracts.

AFA called those claims "absolutely false." A source from the association told AFP the reports were "all lies." The FBI declined to comment.

The association did acknowledge a US investigation involving a third party linked to AFA. It said a district court in Florida had issued a summons for that person to appear before a grand jury and provide documents and communications that may be connected to several people, including federation officials.

AFA has been led by Tapia since 2017. The association is also facing several investigations in Argentina, including one focused on alleged money laundering and another related to tax evasion. Its relationship with President Javier Milei's administration has become strained, including over Tapia's opposition to Milei's push to privatize football clubs in Argentina.