South Africa football head Jordaan arrested on fraud charges

South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan has been arrested amid allegations he used the organisation’s funds for personal gain.

The country’s 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, £57,000).

In March, Hawks raided Safa offices in Johannesburg, confiscating a laptop, USBs, external hard drives and documents.

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.

The 73-year-old, who was a key figure in bringing the 2010 Fifa World Cup to South Africa and has been Safa president since 2013, is awaiting the outcome of an appearance at the Palm Ridge Magistrates court in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Safa’s chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling appeared alongside Jordaan, having also been arrested in connection with the case.

Jordaan reportedly filed a court application on Tuesday, with an affidavit denying any wrongdoing, in an attempt to block his arrest by Hawks.

A Safa official told BBC Sport Africa he did not have further details about the case.

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.

Critics of Jordaan have called on him to resign, pointing to the failure of the men’s national team to qualify for a World Cup since 2010 as well as the country’s deteriorating grassroots football infrastructure.