Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba’s charitable foundation is under investigation from the Charity Commission after an article published in The Daily Mail claims regulatory concerns and mismanagement.
The Daily Mail article alleges that the foundation run by the former Chelsea striker, who currently plays in the American MLS for Montreal Impact, has used only $20,000 of the $2.4 million on African causes.
The claims have raised suspicions from the Charity Commission, which has now opened a case to investigate.
A statement from the commission explained that they will look into “concerns about the administration of the charity and the oversight provided by trustees, all of whom appear to live abroad, as well as allegations that the charity has provided misleading information to donors and the public.”
“Further, the charity has raised and accumulated significant sums of money that have not yet been spent and further information is required over the plans to spend those funds. All these issues merit further investigation by the Commission”, the statement read.
In a statement released by the former Cote D’Ivoire national team captain via his official Twitter account, Drogba revealed that he is beginning legal proceedings against The Daily Mail due to the newspaper’s “false and defamatory article”.
“Despite sending legal letters and 67 pages worth of documents advising the Daily Mail that their information was factually incorrect and libellous, they have decided to ignore the facts so I am issuing legal proceedings against them today,” the statement explains.
“There is no fraud, no corruption, no mismanagement, no lies, no impropriety,” it adds.
The Didier Drogba Foundation was officially launched in the UK in 2009, when the 38-year-old striker was a Chelsea player.
He says that he has been able to build a mobile clinic, invest in orphanages, and fund the purchase of school bags, books and a dialysis machine through the Drogba Foundation, positively affecting the lives of many Africans in the process.
