SAFA president Danny Jordaan SAFA president Danny Jordaan still faces charges of fraud after counts of theft were withdrawn at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Palm Ridge in Johannesburg on Friday. Photo: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
Theft charges against South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan and chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo were on Friday withdrawn by the state.
Jordaan, though, still faces three charges of fraud and one of conspiracy to commit fraud.
Jordaan and Hluyo, as well as a third co-accused Trevor Neethling appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Palm Ridge in Johannesburg.
Jordaan and his co-accused were arrested in November last year.
According to the state, Jordaan used SAFA’s coffers to pay a public relations firm over R1 million to boost his image after facing rape allegations in October of 2017.
Jordaan’s legal team claimed the charges were part of a smear campaign by disgruntled former employees. The trio were granted bail of R20,000 each following their arrest.
Since his arrest, Jordaan has faced calls to resign from his position as SAFA president. One of those calls was from sports minister Gayton McKenzie, who approached world football governing body FIFA to intervene in the matter.
For the time being, Jordaan has gone about his business as usual. Earlier this week, he visited former Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba at Helen Joseph hospital and gifted him a bronze medal from last year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Mashaba is in hospital where he is receiving treatment for a suspected bladder infection.
Jordaan and his co-accused, meanwhile, will be back in court in August to answer against the fraud charges he still faces.
The 73-year-old Jordaan has been SAFA president since 2013. Before that, he played a key role in organising the 2010 Fifa World Cup, which was hosted in South Africa.
IOL Sport