South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan has been released on bail amid allegations he used the organisation\u2019s funds for personal gain.<\/b><\/p>\n
The country\u2019s organised crime investigation unit, Hawks, has been looking into claims of fraud and theft at Safa between 2014 and 2018 amounting to 1.3m rand ($72,000, \u00a357,000).<\/p>\n
Jordaan is alleged to have hired a private security company for his personal protection and a public relations company without authorisation from the Safa board.<\/p>\n
The 73-year-old, who was a key figure in bringing the 2010 Fifa World Cup to South Africa and has\u00a0been Safa president since 2013,<\/a>\u00a0was arrested on Wednesday and appeared at Palm Ridge Magistrates court in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n Safa\u2019s chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling, who appeared in court alongside Jordaan, were also released on bail.<\/p>\n The three men were warned about contacting potential state witnesses who could testify against them, and the case was adjourned until 5 December.<\/p>\n Jordaan reportedly filed a court application on Tuesday, with an affidavit denying any wrongdoing, in an attempt to block his arrest by Hawks.<\/p>\n In March, the unit raided Safa offices in Johannesburg, confiscating a laptop, USBs, external hard drives and documents.<\/p>\n A Safa official told BBC Sport Africa he did not have further details about the case.<\/p>\n Jordaan has faced growing scrutiny amid ongoing allegations of mismanagement and corruption within South African football – but has maintained his innocence and is reportedly seeking a fourth term as Safa president.<\/p>\n Critics of Jordaan have called on him to resign, pointing to the failure of the men\u2019s national team to qualify for a World Cup since 2010 as well as the country\u2019s deteriorating grassroots football infrastructure.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"