Argentina's World Cup Defence Threatened by AFA Leadership Crisis

"Winning once is tough, but winning a second time is even tougher," midfielder Rodrigo De Paul remarked recently. While he referenced football, his words could just as easily describe the turmoil engulfing Argentine soccer off the pitch.

With Argentina set to defend their 2022 World Cup championship at this summer's tournament across the USA, Canada, and Mexico, the nation's football federation finds itself spiraling into chaos. AFA president Claudio Tapia — the same official who took a chance on Lionel Scaloni for the national team coaching position when few others supported the move — now faces criminal accusations, a bitter government standoff, and angry supporters demanding his resignation.

Political warfare between Tapia and Milei threatens football stability

At the heart of the controversy lies a heated dispute between Tapia and Argentine President Javier Milei concerning the potential privatization of the country's member-owned football clubs. The AFA has firmly opposed this initiative. In retaliation, Milei's administration launched a tax investigation against Tapia and fellow AFA officials, accusing them of failing to remit 19 billion pesos — approximately $13 million CAD — in social security payments during 2024 and 2025. Criminal charges were formally laid in March, with Tapia potentially facing between two and six years behind bars.

The AFA has denounced the proceedings as a politically motivated attack. Regardless, the public relations damage continues to mount. During the same week charges were announced, Tapia was loudly jeered by spectators while accepting an honour on the field before Argentina's friendly match against Mauritania. That striking scene — the federation's top official being booed at a national team fixture — perfectly captures the current atmosphere in Buenos Aires.

Lionel Messi departed Argentina following the March friendlies without issuing any public comments. Tapia's previously common practice of sharing photographs with Messi before matches has notably ceased. Argentine media observers have correctly interpreted the silence: the relationship between the AFA leadership and the national squad is deteriorating.

Domestic league expansion and questionable match preparation raise concerns

The domestic consequences extend beyond political squabbles. Following his re-election a full year ahead of schedule, Tapia eliminated relegation and inflated Argentina's top division to 30 clubs. By comparison, most premier European leagues operate with 18 to 20 teams. The outcome, as San Lorenzo supporter Osvaldo Santander bluntly stated: "The fixture list is terrible. There's no legitimate way for any team to claim they're truly the best." Both River Plate and Estudiantes La Plata have pulled out of the AFA's executive committee in objection. Meanwhile, stadium crowds routinely hurl abuse at Tapia.

Questions about World Cup preparation compound the problems. Argentina's pre-tournament friendly opponents have included Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Angola, Mauritania, and Zambia — not a single European side among them. Critics argue these selections prioritize commercial revenue for the AFA over competitive preparation. Their final two warmup matches before the World Cup are scheduled against Honduras and Iceland, neither of which qualified for the tournament. For a squad expected to compete at the highest level, the absence of challenging preparation fixtures represents a genuine cause for concern. Argentina's chances of retaining their crown depend heavily on Messi and an experienced core of veterans — but you don't properly prepare a team for World Cup competition by facing nations ranked outside the global top 80.

There's a counterpoint to consider. Italy captured World Cup glory in both 1982 and 2006 while their federation endured serious domestic upheaval. The majority of Argentina's starting lineup plays professionally in Europe and, as Santander observed, aren't experiencing the daily dysfunction firsthand. De Paul himself has appealed for solidarity: "If we hope to protect what we've won, the entire nation needs to come together."

Yet calls for unity ring hollow when the individual leading Argentine football could end up in prison.