The Federal Administration of Public Funds (AFIP) has established a system to exercise a tighter control over football players’ transfers in the Argentine A and B leagues. The move comes days after the head of AFIP, Ricardo Etchegaray, denounced the existence of a triangulation scheme whereby players were being transferred to and from other countries through Chilean and Uruguayan teams to avoid paying taxes.

According to the tax office, “the aim of these kinds of maneuvers is to make it difficult for the treasury to determine the corresponding taxes, and are not transparent in terms of showing the circulation of funds involved in the operation.”

Today, AFIP released a “dynamic list of sporting tax havens” which includes those foreign clubs involved in operations of triangulation. Whenever a player is transferred to a club on the list, their case will be investigated. The list so far includes clubs from Uruguay, Chile, and Switzerland.

On Tuesday, AFIP closed in on players Jonathan Botinelli, who was being transferred to River, and Ignacio Piatti, who was being transferred to San Lorenzo, using this triangulation scheme. It then requested AFA (Argentine Football Association) to suspend the players while the investigation on alleged money laundering and tax fraud is being carried out. According to Clarín newspaper, AFIP would have also requested that a further 35 players, whose transfer deals are suspected, be suspended.

This afternoon, the tax office also suspended 146 football agents who are being investigated for allegedly participating in “situations of capital flight related to money laundering.” The names of the agents were also forwarded to AFA, for the association to apply the necessary disciplinary measures. In a press conference, Etchegaray announced that the banks involved in triangulation maneuvers will also be investigated.

Etchegaray requested AFA take administrative measures to discourage these type of practices and “the consolidation of shady business schemes.” In a letter sent by AFIP to the football association, they indicate that they are trying to determine the existence of “illegal associations who carry out tax evasion, capital flight operations, and money laundering… using football players and clubs as necessary elements for the perfecting of these maneuvers.”

Clubs will now also have to fill out special forms available at the AFIP website whenever buying or selling players, and the players who are freed from their contractual obligations with clubs will need to notify the tax office within ten days. The aim of these measures is to exercise a tighter control over these transactions to avoid tax evasion.

The football clubs have protested AFIP’s intervention, saying that what they do is legal and common practice in the industry. According to Clarín, some clubs have threatened to cancel this weekend’s games if the football players affected are suspended.

“I know you don’t read the news, but it’s friday, I know this.

So I’m going to educate you today.

‘Cause it’s friday, you ain’t got no (real) job,

and you ain’t got shit to do – till 1am when you head to Pacha Jet!”

Did you enjoy that opening? It was a contribution by over-enthusiastic reader  Mychael H.

Great job Mychael! I’m gonna put it right here on the refrigerator door. And those who didn’t like it, take it up with him.

Now here’s everything you need to know:

Transgender people throughout the country celebrated that once again equality comes first. (Photo/Wikipedia)

• This week Congress seemed to remember that they are supposed to do something and passed two very important laws. First, the “Gender Identity” law, which seeks to provide citizens the power to “freely develop their personalities in accordance with their gender identity,” and the right “to be treated according to their gender identity.” This, of course, includes their DNI, which will have to state their gender of choice.

• The second law passed is the “Dignified Death” law, which grants terminally-ill patients the “right to express their will concerning the refusal of surgical procedures, artificial reanimation or life-support treatment.” This excludes, however, euthanasia and assisted suicide. Pretty fucking good, eh? Pretty fucking good… (except for religious conservatives, who are running in circles as we speak, horrified by society’s continuous moral decay). So while in the Northern Hemisphere half of the United States is kind of entering the 21st century and North Carolina is going back to the Dark Ages, Argentina breezes in to the 23rd century, maybe.

•  And now onto the Brits. They are pissed, you know? And rightfully so, since that Malvinas “Olympics” ad was kind of uncalled for. Sure, it poses a legitimate claim and it helps maintain the Malvinas sovereignty debate alive, but it also brings a political debate into the Olympics ecochamber, which we all know is verboten, even though it has been happening since Nazi Germany, when Jesse Owens (a black guy!) won a gold medal and Adolf Hitler pissed his pants in anger. So the political cognoscenti vowed revenge against the Argentine population and shot back with their ultimate weapon: this.

• Are you kidding me? From all the things you could use to mock Argentina you chose to make fun of… tardiness? I mean, this country is comedy gold and all you could think of was that? OK, at the risk of being deemed a traitor by the Argentine population, let me give you some advice on what you can make fun of next time you want to mock Argentina:

• What Cristina looked like before surgeries.
• Maradona’s 1986 infamous “hand of God” goal.
• The couple who married under the Maradonian church.  And yes, that is an actual wedding. Not a joke.
• Argentina’s Nazi past. Next time you enter the Luna Park stadium to enjoy some random concert, keep in mind that 74 years ago, the place looked like this. And that’s not a joke either.
• Mayor Mauricio Macri‘s cringe-inducing, embarrassing rendition of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. And yes, that actually happened.
• The fact that these sideburns were president from 1989 to 1999.
• The fact that every 80′s movie in Argentina was a ripoff from a Hollywood blockbuster or a hit American TV series. Here are some excerpts of the local versions of: “Alf“, “ET“, “Ghostbusters” (or “Thriller”, if you will), “Airplane!“,  and Robocop. Also, I may or may not have one or more of those movies on DVD.
• Finally: please don’t send me emails saying “Legitimate claim? Bla bla bla islands are British bla bla bla self-determination.” I already know all that and I still don’t care.

• President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, of course, was offended at the British for being offended. Here’s her speech about it. Just so you know, she doesn’t say anything she hasn’t said a million times before. She rants about how creativity is a lot better than bombing other countries. A false analogy that I personally loved.

• Sure, now that the YPF expropriation bill has been passed no one in the country cares about it anymore. But the European Union has a long memory, and even though this whole thing happened like ten days ago the political confederation refuses to forget, and this week they warned that retaliation is imminent. Whatever it is they do, let’s hope it’s better than that fucking “tardiness” ad.

• Another dead body found in the Bosques de Palermo area. You sure you still wanna go jogging there? Because it’s all starting to sound a little too much like a scene from The Silence of the Lambs.

• Here’s another photo you can add to Vice-President Amado Boudou‘s Infamous Hall of Infamy, back from when he was a DJ for the fashion world. How he ended up in politics, we may never know. The photo joins other unforgettable classics, such as “Tongue Vs. Tongue” and “Drunk in my underwear.” Enjoy!

• “But this has no information value!“, you say? Oh please. As if you really came here every Friday to be informed.

• Are you one of the millions of Movistar users whose life was seriously endangered for several hours when the company’s service went down a couple of months ago and people couldn’t update their Twitter accounts? If you are not, then skip this, this doesn’t concern you. If you are, then congrats! The wait is over and after many days of great injustice and abandonment, you’re being reimbursed $10 (pesos, not dollars) for all the trouble caused. Yay, Capitalism.

• Are you one of the millions of Claro users whose life was seriously endangered for several hours when the company’s service went down on Wednesday and people couldn’t update their Twitter accounts? If you’re not, then skip this, this doesn’t concern you. If you are, then you’re fucked. Yeah, that’s right. Claro outsmarted Movistar this week, and after many users complained about a massive service disruption the company blamed the Macri administration, accusing some City workers of accidentally “severing a fiber optics cable.” Sure, the Government is again considering a fine against the company, but they have warned that this case is “different” because it somehow accused Macri of fucking something up *wink, wink*.

• Are you a Personal user? Then watch out, you’re next.

• Next time you brag about how cool and elegant it is to live in Recoleta, remind me to bring this up so I can call you a destitute and shut you up for good.

• This guy died, and even though you never heard of / cared for him, it was a pretty big deal because he was one of Argentina’s most beloved cartoonist. Honor him by at least clicking on that link. You don’t even have to read the story, just click on it so you can at least pretend you care.

• Fame hath no glory! Last year it was Justin Bieber and the baseless, shameless accusations that he had
  

  This is the (possible) rapist Wachiturro, not to be confused with the other five Wachiturros who look exactly the same. In fact, I'm not even sure this is the one in trouble, but this is the only photo Wikipedia had to offer, so fuck it. (Photo/Wikipedia)

  impregnated one of his fans, which not only is ridiculous because Justin is like, the best guy in like, EVER and he would never do that, but also because he’s still like fifteen years away from producing sperm. So now, of course, it happened to one of the country’s youngest, brightest talents: Wachiturros smokin’ hot member DJ Memo. Mr. Memo was arrested (and later released on bail) in Santiago del Estero last Sunday after allegedly trying to rape a 13-year-old, who happened to be the daughter of a police officer. Lies, all lies! Also, probably true.

• By the way, considering that two months ago another Wachiturro was arrested before boarding a plane in a Chilean airport for cleverly making a joke about having a bomb or something stupid like that, I guess this means the boy band is now down to only four members. Come back in a few months when two of them are killed while trying to rob a bank and the boy band is downgraded to a duet.

• Also, that former playmate that caused a stir after appearing at a Mexican presidential debate last Sunday is, of course, Argentine.

• In the non-important news department (football), the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has announced a series of changes in their tournaments that I really don’t give a flying fuck about. But since you probably do, here’s some (probably inaccurate) info:  Starting in the 2012/2013 season, the new Argentine championship  tournament (thanks, Twitter nitpickers) will be divided in two tournaments, each one of them containing 19 rounds. The Apertura and Clausura tournaments will be re-branded “Inicial” and “Final” tournaments, and their respective winners will clash in a final match that will decide the fate of humanity.

• I don’t mean to brag, but I wrote that whole paragraph by myself, no help! OK, I had help. I pretty much stole the whole thing from here and just translated it. Whatever.

• Now here’s an idea that I’m sure is gonna go far: the AFA, that lugubrious nest full of backstabbing vultures, is “studying” the implementation of a possible new system labeled “AFA Plus” aimed at stopping “the power and influence of the barra bravas (or ‘hooligans’) in the Argentine football.” The idea is to register every single football club member and whoever has a history of violence will not be allowed into the game. The anti-hooligan movement was sparked by Independiente president Javier Cantero who said he was sick and tired of violence and is leading a personal crusade against them. Good luck with that! I mean, have you clicked on that Wikipedia link for barra bravas? Despite their absolutely hilarious names in English (“The heavy of the Port”, “The Drunkard of the Stand“), these guys are blood-thirsty goons that will not hesitate to kill you if you stand in their way. And considering that according to that Wikipedia page there’s like a million of them, stopping them means no more audience. Can you imagine? It would be like a dream come true (for me).

• Oh, shit. Here we go.

It’s Friday again!

And let’s deal with the ongoing Malvinas clusterfuck so we can get that out of the way fast, yes?

I know you’re tired of reading about it but when the missiles start coming and you need the location to the closest fallout shelter you will be thanking me.

Now be a good boy/girl and read.

This is what you need to know, in a nutshell:

• 

  Yeah, we all knew I was gonna go with a photo of Sean Penn. (Photo/Wikipedia)

  Sean Penn visited Argentina. Yay! Sean Penn! He came here to ask for money because he’s a goodwill ambassador for Haiti and those people need dollars to fix their country after the devastating earthquake that left their nation in ruins two years ago. But then Sean Penn criticized the British government for not wanting to return the Malvinas/Falklands to the Argentines and now the Brits are offended. Argentines, on the contrary, are delighted with Sean Penn. Some of them have even said he should run for president of the United States! Of course the truth is that had he said the opposite and defended the UK, most Argentines would have said “¿Qué mierda se tiene que venir a meter este yankee de mierda en temas que no le importan?”. I know it, you know it, we all know it.

• Two fighter planes escorted a small Cessna plane to the islands. That’s it. It’s a non-issue. But the media (that’s us) needs to sell, so the day after, newspapers were basically going: “OH MY GOD, LOOK! LOOK! LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE DOING! THEY DID THIS NEW TOTALLY NON-THREATENING THING BUT WE’LL SPIN IT SO IT SOUNDS TERRIFYING, LOOK!! YOU SHOULD BE MAD!!!” And people got mad. *sigh*

• Also, Argentina accepted the UN’s offer to act as mediator in the conflict, but that doesn’t sell so there’s not much to say about it.

• Last bullet point about Malvinas, I swear: Have you ever noticed, while taking a stroll down Plaza de Mayo, that there is some sort of camp set up on its south side, with white flags asking the President for official recognition? Well those are former soldiers that have been camping there for years, hoping that the Government will consider them war veterans, even though technically they are not. You see, those former soldiers were on active duty during the Malvinas War, but they were never sent to fight. They were dispatched to Patagonia and remained there for months, but they never fired a single shot or engaged in combat, because the war took place entirely on the islands. Probably the most dangerous situation they had to endure was trying not to die of boredom. So since they are not war veterans they do not get a veteran’s pension. Simple, right? No, nothing is simple in this country. They still want their pension no matter what, so this week they resorted to (what else?) interrupting traffic on the 9 de Julio Avenue hoping to draw some media attention. In response, the government responded with (what else?) rubber bullets and tear gas. Considering for a moment the 9 de Julio Av. looked like a fucking battlefield, I’d say these guys are now entitled to their pensions. See? It all works out in the end.

• And to think that all this is because of those two little islands that neither Britain nor Argentina really care about, no matter what they say.

• You’re probably aware by now that the shit has hit the fan in the northwest of the country and the population of Catamarca, San Juan and La Rioja have risen against the oppressive tyranny of the mining companies which apparently pollute the environment but the National Government doesn’t give a fuck because they rake in the big bucks. You’re not? Well, I’m not surprised. Anyway, the Fernández de Kirchner administration has been under severe scrutiny after the police fired teargas and rubber bullets at the environmental activists who were protesting the mining activities. So the President thought it would be a great idea to give a speech on live television in which a helmet-wearing miner thanked her for supporting the mining industry, which creates lots of jobs and totally doesn’t poison the land. “I know a lot more than those environmentalists because I spend all day working in the mines,” he said, and everyone was happy and cheered and laughed. And then one day later the media learned that the helmet-wearing miner was not really a helmet-wearing miner, but a non-helmet-wearing political activist from outside Buenos Aires who had just pretended to a helmet-wearing miner to make the protesters look bad. This is democracy, people. I told you it sucks.

• And speaking about democracy and new ways of curtailing your constitutional rights, another scandal has just exploded right on the face of the National Government, after the media found out about this so-called “Project X,” an intelligent-gathering database that according to sources in the National Gendarmerie “is used as an analytical tool and guideline in court cases, like informational support to Operative Units.” Which we all know is bullshit for “spying on you.” The Government of course has said that it would not comment on the matter until it finds some half-baked explanation that gullible voters will buy no matter what. Well they didn’t say it like that, but that’s what they meant.

• The Argentine population is fuming after word got out that national lawmakers and senators had agreed on a 100% salary hike for themselves, effectively going from earning 15,000 to 30,000 pesos a month. And every major political party was in favor of it (of course). Hey, don’t judge! Non-existing inflation is hard to deal with, you know? Especially when you’re a hard-working politician. I mean look at these guys! They are so exhausted from working they pass out on their seats in Congress. Right?

• Vice-President Amado Boudou, who as we all know still insists on pretending to be young and hip even though he’s not, grabbed a guitar and climbed on stage all sweaty and fat and started rockin’ it out with La Mancha de Rolando. But my favorite part was seeing him wearing a t-shirt that read “Clarín miente” (Clarín lies), which we all know is kind of true sometimes but he should be acting like a vice-president and not like a patronizing, rebellious teenager.

• Yeah, that was it. I know it’s not really news. I just wanted to show what a douchebag he can be sometimes.

• In case you didn’t know, Argentina’s version of Adolf Hitler, former de facto President and current Monster of the Black Lagoon General Jorge Rafael Videla (cue this music whenever he enters a room) is not dead, even though we all wish he were. And from time to time he gives some random interview from his tiny prison cell just to remind us all that he may somehow kill us in our sleep. For those who clearly don’t give a shit about Argentine history or otherwise they would know about it, this is the guy who staged the 1976 coup d’état that sparked the country’s darkest era to date since it included torturing pregnant women, stealing their babies and making political dissidents “disappear.” When democracy returned in 1983, 30,000 people had been “disappeared” and 500 babies had been stolen. However, Videla does not agree with history, so once again he has crawled out of his dark, moist cave to accuse the Kirchners of being “vengeful,” and to assure that it’s not 30,000 people who were killed but merely 7,000. Well. Maybe we should throw him a parade then? Agh, just die already.

• Oh-oh. You may want to call your parents before they hear about this from somewhere else: Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Brazil are all raising their warning levels for travelers coming to Buenos Aires. And after last week’s incident in Plaza San Martín, can you blame them? However, I feel like I need to be fair here and come out in defense of Buenos Aires. First of all, most of you don’t leave Recoleta, Palermo or San Telmo, where the worst thing that can happen to you is getting stabbed, and that would probably be your fault for deciding to take a stroll at 3 in the morning. You just have to be careful, period.

• Yeah, I know. I said “first of all” so there should have been a “second” part but I totally spaced out and lost my train of thought. So whatever.

• Also, I’m not trying to freak you out or anything, but a few days ago there was a near collision between two passenger planes in Aeroparque. Technically they “grazed” each other on the tarmac, which means they were two millimeters away from killing 400 people. So… you know. Fingers crossed next time you’re flying to the Iguazú falls or Punta del Este or wherever it is you like to go.

• Well, we all knew it was bound to happen sooner or later: a wachiturro
  

  This is a wachiturro. You've been warned. (Photo/Wikipedia)

  has been arrested in Chile on terrorism charges. Yeah, that’s right: a wachiturro. In case you’re not familiar with their horrendous –yet ridiculously popular- music, here’s a sample of their most famous single “Tirate un paso.” Anyway, one of the wachiturros, apparently referred to by some people as the “Scary wachiturro,” (just like one of the Spice Girls, although for entirely different reasons), had no better idea than to say, after going through the metal detectors in a Chilean airport, that he was happy security “had not been able to find the bomb he was carrying.” Bad move, Scary Wachiturro! Within a few seconds he was arrested by the airport police and I really don’t know what happened after that because I found the story to be extremely dull and stopped reading. Maybe he’s been released; maybe he’s been shipped off to Guantanamo. Who cares?

• Here, have some fun with the new map that’s been making the rounds on Facebook, Twitter and maybe Friendster. It’s a map of the city of Buenos Aires according to the “cool Palermo crowd” (you know who you are). So wrong, yet so true.

• And yes, the Malvinas clusterfuck has now reached the rock bottom part of this column, usually reserved for anything football-related because that’s how much I care about that idiotic sport. However this is kind of fun, so read on: in an effort to push stupidity to the max, the AFA decided to name the Clausura Tournament “Crucero General Belgrano” in honor of the eponymous Argentine warship that was sunk by the Royal Navy during the Malvinas/Falklands War in 1982. Who knows what kind of amorphous monster could result from such a manic combination of shallow nationalism and dangerous fanaticism? Well we may never know because the FIFA is now considering sanctioning the AFA since it may have incurred in “political discrimination.” Why? I don’t know, I’m just happy this is all happening.

• Ah, now here’s a manly sport that I respect because at least no one is trying to sell you that whole “sportsmanship” crap that no one believes in anyway (like football). You see, what I like about Boxing is that basically you have to kill your opponent, and the cathartic process seemingly helps satisfy the bloodlusting-crowds. Well, except for last week in Mar del Plata when Filipino boxer Johnriel (“Johnriel”? Really? OK.) Casimero killed knocked out Argentine boxer Luis Lazarte (sorry, no Wiki page. I guess he’s not that important) and all hell broke loose, with the audience jumping into the ring and trying to kick Johnriel’s ass. Don’t believe me? Here, it’s all caught on tape.

South American football fans will have been kept busy over the close-season, with the Copa America providing ample distraction to ensure all were entertained. Nonetheless, many will now be anticipating this evening with great excitement. The 2011 Torneo Apertura is all set to kick-off and looks like being as unpredictable a race as ever. Apart from La Copa, headlines during the winter break had been dominated by the relegation of River Plate and the crazy ideas coming out of the AFA for a new 38 team league format. However, with the start of a new season it is time to forget the fallen giants and plans to resurrect them, and focus on those who will be at the party.

Veléz Sársfield fans celebrate the win with flare. (Photo: Caitlin M. Kelly)

Veléz Sársfield, champions of the 2011 Clausura, are amongst the early favourites to repeat those heroics. Whilst two of the critical cogs in their midfield have departed for Italy, diminutive playmaker Maxi Moralez and left-sided dynamo Ricky Alvarez, last season’s success was founded on much more than just the little-and-large midfield duo. Having kept Uruguayan forward Santiago Silva in the squad despite much interest from home and abroad is a major boost, especially if he can continue his rich vein of form from the past two years.  Veléz, who displayed some of the most attractive, attacking football in the league last season, might just be the side to beat this time around.

Estudiantes de la Plata, the other victors in last year’s Primera División, will also be looking to repeat their successes. Fans’ favourite Juan Sebastián Verón signed a year-long contract extension on Wednesday, and the midfield general could be central to Estudiantes’ fate over the coming months. In addition, a loan deal from Wigan Athletic for centre forward Mauro Boselli looks like a shrewd piece of business. Despite suffering a tough time in England, the striker proved his pedigree during his last spell at the club. Estudiantes start their campaign in Rosario on Sunday afternoon, away to Newell’s Old Boys.

In a league in which anything can happen, any number of other teams will start the Apertura with one eye on the title. Among the outsiders who should be considered as in with a chance are Lanús, who won their first ever league in the 2007 Apertura. Since then they have put in some impressive performances, finishing second at their last attempt. Additionally, recent surprise package Godoy Cruz will be looking to represent the growing decentralization of power in Argentinian football with another good showing this year, starting with a tough opening fixture at home to Veléz on Saturday.

La Boca fans ready for another victory. (Photo: Rafael Alvez)

Finally, never ones to be ignored, sleeping giants Boca Juniors are desperate to win their first domestic title since 2008. No doubt still basking in the glow from the demise of fierce rivals River Plate, the Boca faithful might do well to turn their attentions onto their own club’s failings. They start the season with exactly the same relegation coefficient that River had at the beginning of their ultimate campaign and should have learned by now that in Argentina, no side is too big to go down. While their status demands them to be permanent title contenders, a league victory this coming season looks unlikely. Boca must first recover from the retirement of talismanic striker Martin Palermo, and they must do so quickly.

Indeed, as the example of River Plate proves, the league is about far more than who finishes campeón. Several teams might spend the next six months taking tentative glances down the table at the absurdly complicated relegation coefficient, not least the newly promoted teams: Atlético de Rafaela; Belgrano de Córdoba; San Martín de San Juan; and Unión de Santa Fe. Meanwhile, Tigre will hope the goals of Denis Stracqualursi, one of the league’s best players last season, will be enough to save them from the drop. Other sides looking hesitantly over their shoulders will include Olimpo and Racing, despite the latter’s status as one of the traditional giants of Argentinian football.

The Primera División 2011/12 looks set to be as closely-fought and entertaining as ever, with thrills and spills a plenty. As always, the favourites are far from certainties and the seemingly weaker sides are capable of defying the doom-merchants and springing a surprise or two. The first round of games could all realistically go either way and even at this late stage it has been a near impossible task to confidently predict the fates of the various runners and riders. With that in mind, I guess all there is to do now is sit back and enjoy the show.

Sergio Batista has agreed to step down as Argentina football coach following their premature knock out in the Copa America.

After managing the team for just a year, Batista, 48, accepted the decision made by the Argentina Football Association (AFA) to “rescind” his contract. Batista was initially contracted to remain in his post until the end of the Brazil World Cup qualifiers in 2014.

As a coach Batista has come under great scrutiny for an unsuccessful season, in particular by his predecessor, Diego Maradona.

The national team’s last major trophy was the 1993 Copa America. Despite beating Costa Rica 3-0, losing to Uruguay by 6 penalties to 5 in the final eight provoked a renewed incentive for the AFA to take action.

AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Biao said: “In a friendly phone call to the president of the AFA, Mr Sergio Batista put his future as head of the club up for consideration by the Executive Committee and the AFA.” Biao stressed: “Batista wasn’t sacked.”

Although the AFA have stressed that “there is no rush, no urgency,” to name a new coach, local media have reported favourites to include Alejandro Sabella, current manager of Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, and Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino.

A judicial investigation will look at how some 3,000 supporters with valid tickets were denied entry to the Argentine-Brazil football match on Saturday because the stadium was full. Two videos – one filmed outside the stadium before kick off and the other during ticket sales a day earlier – will form a key part of the case, reports Clarín.

The first video shows Rosario Central’s barra brava (hooligan firm) talking with police shortly before the group seem to enter the stadium without tickets. Many of the barra brava were wearing club colours – which are banned for international matches.

The second video – shown on Clarín‘s website – catches one man buying tickets at five seperate windows, despite an official limit of two per person and a strong police presence. Two police guards were also arrested on the Wednesday before the game for touting tickets.

Press spokesman for the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Raúl Steimberg, said that access to the stadium was under the control of local government and police.

However, Municipal Secretary for Government in Rosario Horacio Ghirardi said the blame lies with the (AFA), reports local paper 30 Noticias. “AFA is fully responsible for anything to do with the printing, sale and distribution of tickets, and control of their entry into the stadium… if there were unauthentic tickets, or people who entered with false tickets, the court should investigate it, and it is AFA’s job to respond to this as any organiser of a public spectacle should”.

Ghiradi added that those with valid tickets that were prevented from entering the stadium should be given a full refund.

Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Julio Grondona announced Wednesday that the kickoff of the Argentine football season may have to be delayed because of debt crisis over player wages. He mentioned that players for top clubs River Plate, Independiente, Racing Club and San Lorenzo had lodged complaints with their unions over unpaid back wages. The debt totals some US$12m, according to APF, though reported figures have been as high as US$80m.

“There is no doubt that the beginning of the tournament is at risk because several clubs have very big debts,” Grondona told cable TV channel TyC Sports. “This can be sorted out in one day, two days or several weeks… We have asked for meetings in the coming days but we must put things in order, there’s a limit to everything,” he said.

He argued that debt problems are largely arising because clubs are having difficulty collecting income on player transfers. “They are paying very high salaries (and) one of the main (revenue) resources was the sale of players and now it’s very difficult to transfer them,” he said.

He also blamed player agents, saying, “before, the players were part of the assets of the clubs. The invention of… agents was a misfortune.” “It can’t be that a person owns 30 percent of a player and another 40 (percent). It seems like we’re talking about cows,” he said.

He also called for a meeting with cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez, to request government subsidies as well as new laws allowing clubs access to gambling and TV income.

The tournament is called Apertura – “opening” – and is one of the two annual Argentina First Division tournaments. It had been scheduled to kickoff 14 August.