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Julio Grondona is a powerful, divisive figure in global football who will take a front row seat at today’s World Cup final as the long-time head of the Argentine Football Association. |
He will no doubt see a victory over Germany as another crowning achievement in a four-decade rule over Argentinian football during which he has never strayed far from controversy.
The 83-year-old has been repeatedly linked to scandals, but shrugs off criticism and has been easily re-elected as AFA president every four years since 1979.
Grondona lists “sports management” as one of his hobbies on his FIFA biography.
But as a senior vice-president of the world governing body and head of its key finance committee, he has full time implication in FIFA’s multi-billion dollar empire.
With Argentina in the grip of a military dictatorship that ruled from 1976 to 1983, Grondona was named AFA head by Vice Admiral Carlos Lacoste who headed the organizing committee of the World Cup staged in the country and triumphantly won by the home side in 1978.
He has survived since through democratically elected governments of all shades. All have been forced to negotiate with ‘Don Julio’ who enjoys the massive and unconditional support of a football network based on the 22,000 clubs.
Grondona has in turn reformed the country’s football to maintain its powerhouse status. The Albiceleste won the World Cup again in 1986 against West Germany, the Olympics gold medal in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 as well as the Copa America in 1991 and 1993.
The football baron is outspoken and does not worry about his targets. He has already crossed swords with Argentine football legend Diego Maradona during this World Cup.
Argentina’s new legend Lionel Messi scored a winning goal against Iran in the group stage after Maradona had left the stadium and Grondona reportedly said the goal came because the “jinxed” Maradona was not present.
In response, Maradona raised his middle finger in an obscene gesture on the Venezuelan television programme he hosts during the World Cup. “Poor stupid man. This is Messi’s merit not because I left,” said Maradona.
Grondona’s FIFA links have brought regular accusations of scandal.
Grondona is currently accused by opponents of President Cristina Kirchner of diverting millions of dollars of government finance to the AFA in return for television rights.
Before the last AFA election in 2011, Carlos Avila, a former associate of Grondona and owner of the TyC Sports television channel, alleged that the association president had 12 undeclared bank accounts in Europe and the United States.
“You want to know what I think of Grondona? OK, Grondona is the ‘puntero’ (informal military chief) for FIFA,” Avila said at the time calling for an investigation.
“It is public knowledge that Julio has an absolute power over the management of football. He has always based it on the poverty of (Argentinian) clubs,” he added.
For this World Cup, the AFA is allegedly involved in an international scandal over the illegal sale of VIP hospitality tickets which Brazilian police is investigating.
The Argentinian, Brazilian and Spanish federations are all reportedly under investigation.
One ticket found to be illegally sold was in the name of Humberto Grondona, son of the AFA president. The son has denied involvement in illegal activities though he admits selling the ticket to a friend.
The ticket is not part of the Brazilian investigation.