Keith Wyness shares chances of FIFA ban on Argentina amid FBI investigation

Argentina will not face the possibility of being banned from FIFA competitions if their FA are found guilty of money laundering.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that it is individuals behind the scenes who are more likely to face sanctions if found guilty.

This comes after the news that the FBI are investigating the AFA over a possible scheme that could have seen around £225million laundered through companies in Florida.

Wyness has emphasised that there are currently "no charges filed," and the issue does not concern any of the Argentine players or coaches from recent years.

He believes that it has been "sensible" for the AFA to move money into the American economy after Argentina's peso currency suffered a severe devaluation back in 2018.

He then outlined that he is not privy to how that money has been used since then, but is adamant that there will be no footballing sanctions if the AFA are found guilty.

Who will be punished if the AFA are found guilty?

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the investigation could result in suspensions for key figures in the AFA if they are found to have committed any wrongdoing.

The Scottish businessman also mooted fines as a possible sanction, but emphasised that the investigation remains far from reaching a conclusion.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he made it clear that the FBI's investigation is yet to charge anybody with any wrongdoing.

"There are no charges filed. So let me say that straight away. There are no players involved. It's about where money has gone that's come in mainly through sponsorships and how that's been handled," Wyness said.

"And the key thing here why the FBI are involved, is because it went through the US banking system. The Argentinian economy very recently was in really deep trouble. It would have made sense to try and get money into the US sensibly because at that time, with the inflation, the peso was on its knees. 

"It's understandable to divert money to keep it in banks where it's going to keep its value rather than taking it into Argentina where it's going to be eroded. Now, whether that has then turned into issues of the money being used wrongly, I don't know enough about the facts yet to be able to comment on that.

"I don't think this will extend in any way into a country being banned from any competition. I think it'll be more about individuals being sanctioned and possibly banned from holding office, and fines possibly. That's the way it's going to go. 

"So I don't expect anything really significant to come out of it more than that. But nevertheless, let's see what facts come out. I don't think it's linked necessarily to anywhere near the team or the actual football on the pitch."

Lautaro Martinez 'should be banned' for England vs Argentina

Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider on Monday that Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez should have been shown a second yellow while celebrating his goal in their World Cup quarter-final against Switzerland.

The Inter Milan striker was already on a yellow card when he jumped over the advertising board to celebrate with the fans after putting his country 3-1 up in extra time.

Hackett suggested that Martinez had clearly "broken the law" by going into the crowd and "should be banned" for the semi-final against England.

However, the incident went unpunished, prompting the former official to label the referee's at this year's tournament "weak."