Mass graft raids rattle Argentine clubs

Argentine police raided national football headquarters and several top clubs Tuesday, in a sweeping money-laundering probe just months before the world champions defend their title.

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Police struck dozens of locations at once as part of an investigation into a financial company that was the official sponsor of the Argentine football league and the national team last year.

“So far there have been 25 to 30 raids of teams and private homes,’ a police source told AFP.

The source confirmed that the headquarters of the Argentine Football Association as well as the training grounds of the national team south of the capital were targeted.

Several first-division clubs were also raided, including Racing, Independiente, Banfield, and San Lorenzo.

The company under investigation is Sur Finanzas, whose owner is close to AFA president Claudio Tapia.

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