Another blow against Claudio Chiqui Tapia: they denounce two controversial contracts signed during his administration

03/22/2021 21:33

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 03/22/2021 9:33 PM

At his worst since he became the strong man of Argentine soccer, Claudio

Chiqui

Tapia seems to have his days numbered as president of the AFA.

The re-election that had been secured last year in a virtual assembly is in jeopardy after a complaint filed by Daniel Ferreiro, an old ally who, like many others, crossed paths in recent months.

In the midst of that gale, with the interference of several heavyweights of the national government, a report by Jorge Lanata unveiled on Monday night

 two controversial contracts signed by the AFA

 during his tenure and that put the country in an even more uncomfortable situation. ex-husband of Hugo Moyano.

"At this moment from Alberto (Fernández) to Cristina (Kirchner) want to remove him," the journalist started on the

TN Central

program

.

Lanata spoke of two companies that "

seem more from the Don Julio (Grondona) era than the Chiqui era

."

One is the contract for the digital rights of the Argentine Football Association.

"They made a contract with a company called

Metro World Digital SA

and appointed it as the exclusive digital agent of the AFA," he explained.

The man behind this firm is

Carlos Varela

.

"He is the one who replaced Chiqui Tapia in the position of president in Barracas Central. He is someone very trustworthy," Lanata explained.

Varela, among other companies, also has one called

Transur, dedicated to garbage collection

, linked to the extra-soccer activity of Tapia, who is also vice president of the

CEAMSE

.

Jorge Lanata's research.

Photo capture.

Before signing the contract (in 2018), Metro Digital was called Metro Music: "They were engaged in another business, we don't know which one," he ironically.

The contract, of which he showed a copy, gives him

rights to develop applications for the AFA, sites, network accounts and online gambling services

.

"

Graciela Ocaña is going to ask him to appear in Congress to ask him about these contracts

. In this contract, AFA keeps 70% and gives Varela 30%. There was no warrant," he said about the investigation.

The second contract he showed is even more "juicy" in terms of the possibility of generating money, which is to "market all the friendlies of the National Team."

"This runs from 2022 to 2030, all the matches of the National Team. He gave it to

Guillermo Tofoni,

a businessman mentioned in Fifagate, but not prosecuted," Lanata reported.

In this sense, he said that "he gave him the right to market all the games and gave him 70% and the AFA kept 30%."

Finally, regarding Chiqui Tapia's position, Lanata assured that in national politics "they are killing themselves over this issue."

"There are all kinds of partisan candidates, extra-partisans, club people and people who don't. At the government and opposition level, they are all involved in the same story because football is business and also a way to calm people," concluded the creator of Journalism for All.

More Lanata tests against Chiqui Tapia.

Photo captures TN.

The concrete thing is that the fabric of alliances that led Chiqui Tapia to occupy the presidential seat of the AFA in 2017 has already disintegrated and its continuity is a question mark.

He no longer has the support of the majority of the leaders of the Ascent and the Interior, the basis that led him from the presidency of Barracas Central to become the strong man of Argentine soccer.

He no longer even has the support of Pablo Toviggino, the man from Santiago who manages the day-to-day running of the AFA who has a direct line with Sergio Massa.

Tapia will have to go through the polls again to renew his mandate if the General Inspection of Justice (IGJ) makes room for the complaint that Nueva Chicago made about a series of irregularities in the virtual assembly that ten months ago led to his re-election " by acclamation ”to remain in office until October 2025. The IGJ, managed by Ricardo Nissen, Máximo Kirchner's man, is waiting for the AFA's discharge.

However, in the world of football and politics they say that the die is cast.

There are several candidates who began to take the race to stay with Tapia's place and with the coveted box that the AFA manages.

Marcelo Tinelli, president of San Lorenzo and of the Professional Soccer League, is one of the leaders at this time gathering the greatest consensus to become the new boss of Argentine soccer with the support of the Casa Rosada.

Alberto Fernández also encourages another old acquaintance to support Tinelli.

It is about Marcelo Achile.

Of Kirchnerist lineage, the president of Defensores de Belgrano acted this Monday as host of the act in which the President assumed the leadership of the Justicialista Party at the national level.

Another potable candidate, with the permission of Fernández and with the patronage of the governor of Tucumán, Juan Manzur, is Mario Leito, president of Atlético Tucumán and national deputy for the Frente de Todos.

The concrete thing is that Tapia seems to have his days numbered.

As Lanata warned, the thread is red hot and Hugo Moyano's ex-husband seems trapped in a dead end.

Look also

Alberto Fernández promotes an old acquaintance of Kirchnerism in the intern for power in the AFA

Betrayed by allies, Claudio Chiqui Tapia loses power and would be fired from the AFA