- Safa, Danny Jordaan and Gronie Hluyo must hand over financial records from the 2010 Fifa Legacy Trust after a court order.
- Investigator Bart Henderson says the $10-million payment was a bribe tied to South Africa’s 2010 World Cup bid.
The Pretoria High Court has ordered the South African Football Association (Safa), its president Danny Jordaan, and chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo to hand over documents linked to a disputed $10-million (R170-million) payment.
The ruling, issued on 1 October, forces the trio to disclose bank statements from the 2010 Fifa Legacy Trust, showing who received the money. They must also attend a pre-trial conference by 23 October.
Private investigator Bart Henderson, who brought the case, believes the payment was a bribe disguised as funding for an “African diaspora legacy programme”.
He also wants documents on Safa’s purchase of its Fun Valley technical centre for R67-million – even though it was reportedly valued at only R30-million.
The court’s decision is a major setback for Safa, Jordaan and Hluyo. The three had tried to sue Henderson for R4.5-million over a report he published in 2023 titled Offsides.
In the report, Henderson alleged that Fifa paid the $10-million to former Caribbean football boss Jack Warner, who helped South Africa win the 2010 World Cup bid.
He also claimed that money from the Fifa Legacy Trust, which began with over R600-million, was misused – including R6.3-million that allegedly benefited Jordaan and R1.6-million for Hluyo.
The trust was dissolved in 2023. Henderson says this was done illegally and that only Jordaan and Hluyo ever saw the accounts.
Safa has not responded to the court order or recent questions about the case.
Pictured above: Safa president Danny Jordaan.
Image source: File
