Bullrich targeted 'Chiqui' Tapia and promised to review the transparency of the AFA from the Senate.

Patricia Bullrich, future Senator and outgoing Minister, anticipated that she will study the internal functioning of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) from Congress. In an interview with Eduardo Feinmann on Radio Mitre, she denounced a web of irregularities and criticized the leadership of Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia.

Along these lines, she stated that many clubs are conditioned by the entity's power structure. "There are many irregularities here, I'm going to focus in the Senate on studying the association's transparency", she said.

 

Criticism of Tapia's leadership

Bullrich argued that AFA's current management is moving in the opposite direction of the institutional order the country seeks. "The country is moving toward order, not toward discretion. In this process, AFA is going backward, in total discretion", she stated.

She also questioned the president's inner circle. "There are plenty of big shots around Tapia, with millionaire fortunes," she pointed out.

For the future senator, the problem directly affects the clubs: "He holds the clubs hostage", she maintained. She added: "There are relationships of dependence, not relationships of freedom". According to Bullrich, this dynamic limits the autonomy of the institutions that make up the system.

When asked about a possible State intervention, she was cautious. "That's something I can't say, we haven't discussed it, I'm studying it from a legal perspective," she clarified.

Internal voting and disciplinary management

Bullrich also criticized the entity's election system. "How does internal democracy work? How does the election system work? Why is it an indirect election?" she questioned. When Feinmann pointed out that today only seventy clubs vote, she replied: "Of course, and remember that when AFA almost changed, an extra vote appeared."

The former official considered that this model consolidates the concentration of power and facilitates discretionary maneuvers. For this reason, she insisted that her task in the Senate will be to study the legal framework that supports these practices.

Meanwhile, Bullrich questioned AFA's sanctioning role: "What sanctioning power does someone who breaks the law have?" she asked. This way, she wanted to make it clear that someone who repeatedly breaks the law—like AFA—has no authority to then sanction its members.

As an example, she mentioned the sanction against Estudiantes de La Plata after turning their backs in the hallway to Rosario Central. "For turning their backs, they imposed a sanction as if they had murdered someone. An unbelievable thing", she stated.

She also denounced favoritism and cronyism. "It can't be that everyone knows there are sons and coaches, clubs that are favored, stadiums that are favored", she said. She then launched a direct statement about the institution's president: "If you hold a popular consultation, Tapia wouldn't last a day in AFA".

Bullrich described an operation that, in her view, functions as a pressure mechanism: "If you want to be a corporation, they come down hard on you. If not, you accept that there's a title that wasn't planned and isn't deserved." She explained: "AFA gives away titles, so it's like inflation: when you issue, titles lose value," she pointed out.

She also linked this situation to the country's sports performance. "We lose the under-17s because we have little capacity to have the schools that Argentina could have today, if there really was more investment," she stated.

Her relationship with Villarruel and her agenda

In the interview, Bullrich also spoke about her relationship with Vice President Victoria Villarruel. "I've already met several times to coordinate institutional matters", she explained. She clarified that, although they have different views on some points, they maintain a "democratic debate" without internal conflicts.

Regarding the progress of the new Buenos Aires Penitentiary Service, she confirmed that the transfer is almost ready. "It's absolutely necessary, because the city must take responsibility for its detainees. There is an almost daily working group, so the transfer could happen at any moment," she said.

She also gave clear definitions about the future of Devoto Prison: "The idea is to tear it down. The new Marcos Paz prison aims for Devoto to move". Prisons within cities are no longer viable," she maintained.

She emphasized its current state: "Devoto is totally and absolutely unfit for use, because it's destroyed and old. We hope to be able to tear it down. Implode it."