Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), is known locally as “Chiqui,” which roughly translates into “tiny,” despite his being a robust man of size. Typical Argentine satire in assigning nicknames. Not long ago, Tapia was a street cleaner, and until recently, was in the Olympus of Argentine football idols for a large portion of the country’s fans for having been the man in charge of AFA when the national team ended nearly three decades of sporting title drought. Under his tenure, skipper Lionel Messi and the rest of the crew conquered the World Cup, two Copa Américas, and a Finalissima in which they humiliated Italy, re-establishing the nation’s self-confidence on the pitch and its condition as a global powerhouse.
During this time, “Tiny” was following in the footsteps of none other than Julio Grondona – the legendary head of AFA who ruled Argentine football with an iron fist for 35 years. “Don Julio” oversaw two World Cup titles, together with multiple Copa Américas. He was also “Co-Conspirator #1” for investigators in the global corruption scandal known as ‘FIFAgate,’ senior vice-president and treasurer of FIFA – the global football governing body – an
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