Danny Jordaan, the President of the South African Football Association (SAFA), has been apprehended and charged with offenses related to fraud and theft.
The South African Police Force announced this development in a formal statement, indicating that the arrest occurred on Wednesday.
According to police reports, the charges against the SAFA President involve the unauthorized use of the organization’s resources for personal gain, with the overall case amounting to 1.3 million rand (approximately $72,000).
Mr. Jordaan stands accused of enlisting a private security firm and a public relations company without the necessary authorization from the SAFA board.
The allegations assert that between the years 2014 and 2018, Mr. Jordaan misappropriated the organization's resources for his benefit. Specifically, it has been alleged that he hired a private security company for personal protection and engaged a public relations firm following reputational concerns raised by a former South African singer and lawmaker, who, in 2017, accused him of sexual assault occurring 25 years earlier.
Mr. Jordaan has denied these allegations in a court situated in Johannesburg.
He was arrested alongside Gronie Hluyo, the Chief Financial Officer of SAFA, and Trevor Neethling, the businessman leading the communications firm implicated in the charges, both of whom have also vehemently denied the accusations.
Since assuming the role of SAFA president in 2013, Mr. Jordaan was re-elected for a third term in 2022 and played a pivotal role in South Africa’s successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.