Police raid Argentine football HQ, clubs in graft probe

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA- Argentine authorities raided the headquarters of the national football association and several major teams on Tuesday as part of a money-laundering probe, a police source told AFP.

In a wave of simultaneous raids ordered by a judge, officers searched the Argentine Football Association offices south of Buenos Aires, and teams including Racing Club, San Lorenzo, Independiente and Banfield, the source said.

"So far there have been 25 to 30 raids of teams and private homes," the source said, also confirming the raid on the AFA headquarters.

Agents were looking for accounting information related to the finance company Sur Finanzas, which sponsors several teams and is suspected of malpractice.

Last month, tax authorities filed a complaint against the firm, accusing it of dodging taxes on Argentine pesos equivalent to $550 million.

The company has carried out a number of business deals in the world of Argentine football and its CEO, Ariel Vallejo, is close to the head of the football association, Claudio Tapia.

Last year Sur Finanzas was the official sponsor of the Argentine football league and the national team.

Local media reported that authorities were investigating whether the firm provided loans to clubs in exchange for benefits such as broadcasting rights.

One of the clubs that was raided, the Buenos Aires-based Atletico Excursionistas, in a statement denied any financial ties to the firm under investigation, beyond a typical sponsorship deal.