SAFA President Danny Jordaan
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has slammed the Hawks following a search and seizure operation at its Nasrec offices. The raid, conducted on Friday, was connected to allegations involving SAFA President Danny Jordaan and accusations of a R1.3 million fraud case.
The Hawks assert that they executed the operation after claims surfaced that between 2014 and 2018, Danny Jordaan had misused the organization’s funds for personal benefit. These allegations include hiring both a private security and a Public Relations company without the authorization of the SAFA Board.
Hawks Spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale stated, “The Serious Commercial Crime Investigation executed search seizure warrants this morning, 08 March 2024, at the South African Football Association’s office. The president is also reported to have violated SAFA statutes thus prejudicing SAFA an actual loss of R1.3 million.”
During the raid, items such as a laptop, external hard drives, a USB, and various documents were confiscated. But SAFA is hitting back, condemning the search as “unlawful, malicious and not conducted in terms of the directives of a warrant given to us.”
SAFA contested the Hawks’ actions, “We were not furnished with all the documents prescribed by law. The documents that were furnished by the Hawks during the shameful raid were incomplete and unlawful.”
SAFA further asserted its stance by announcing its intent to seek legal recourse. “We have instructed our attorneys to bring an urgent application to review and set aside this search and seizure,” affirmed the SAFA statement.
The association also stated its plan to lodge a formal complaint against the Hawks’ members involved in the operation. To add to their legal strategies, civil action for defamation of character is on the cards.
Criticism was not spared in SAFA’s statement: “We will further institute civil action for defamation of character against those involved in the naming of the SAFA President’s name in an ongoing investigation. We believe, unfortunately, that these members of the police have been compromised and are being used in the callous abuse of state resources.”
SAFA stood firm on their position regarding the missing funds in their statement, “Let us reiterate, there is no money missing from SAFA.”
