Argentine military police officer Nahuel Gallo, who had been detained in Venezuela for over a year on counts of conspiracy and espionage, was released on Sunday night, with key assistance from the Argentine Football Association (AFA). However, it quickly became apparent that one organization, which played a key role in Gallo’s liberation, went unmentioned: the AFA. AFA broke the news of Gallo’s liberation twenty minutes before Quirno, when they released a short statement thanking Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez and the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF). Congresswoman Marcela Pagano also credited “the AFA sports diplomacy” as one of the keys to Gallo’s return. “Thanks to quiet, joint efforts by the Venezuelan Football Federation and CONMEBOL, today, after 448 days, Nahuel Gallo is returning to Argentina and can be reunited with his family,” he wrote on his X account.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald March 02, 2026 15:00 UTC