Milei threatens government interference in Argentine soccer
Add Argentina to the list of countries that could be threatened with expulsion by FIFA given new developments in South America.
Specifically, Argentina has fallen into turmoil in the debate over private ownership of professional clubs. So much so that the government has threatened to get involved.
For background, FIFA doesn’t look kindly on countries where governments get involved in the running of soccer leagues or national teams. Indeed, just in the past six years, FIFA has threatened to expel Brazil, Spain, Ghana, Greece, Sudan, Kuwait, Iran, Tunisia, and Nigeria, among others, from international competitions. Therefore, the developments in Argentina may soon perk up the ears of FIFA.
So what is happening?
Recently elected Argentina Prime Minister Javier Milei has discussed changes to the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Milei went to the extent of saying last week that “The AFA is not above the national constitution or the government.”
Milei was speaking on Radio Mitre, a radio station based out of Buenos Aires. The Argentine Prime Minister wants to ensure that private entities are involved in the running of Argentine soccer clubs. To do this, he has pushed an agenda forward that brings the Argentine government closer to intervening in the AFA. That runs the risk of losing FIFA affiliation and status as the current World Cup champion.
Argentine government, Milei inch closer to interference in AFA
There has been no mention of FIFA keeping tabs on the situation. However, the world governing body is regularly scanning for signs of government interference. Additionally, the agency has no hesitation when it comes to acting. In 2022, FIFA issued bans to both Kenya and Zimbabwe for government interference. However, that situation was not a perfect representation of what is happening in Argentina. The Zimbabwean government intervened because it said it was fighting corruption in the organization. Regardless, it is in FIFA law to expel those countries for interfering with the soccer bodies.
Argentina has time to correct the aims of Milei and his desire for interference with the AFA. Yet, if Milei goes through with what he mentioned on Radio Mitre, Argentina’s international soccer will be the one to suffer. This also applies to the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.
Currently, Argentina is in FIFA World Cup qualifying for 2026. The upcoming September international window brings two more games for the reigning World Cup champions. Argentina hosts Chile on Thursday, Sep. 5, before traveling to Colombia on Tuesday, Sep. 10. Argentina is leading the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table after six games with five wins and one loss. A FIFA ban on Argentina would eliminate it from World Cup qualifying for this cycle, and it would not play any more games in the qualifying tournament. That is what happened ahead of the 2022 World Cup for Africa qualifying concerning Kenya and Zimbabwe.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.