Didier Drogba charity cleared of fraud but may have ‘misled’ donors

Drogba announced in November that he will leave Montreal FC at the end of the MLS season

An investigation into a charity run by ex-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba found “no evidence of fraud or corruption” but said it may have “misled” donors.

The Charity Commission began its inquiry into “serious regulatory concerns” at the Didier Drogba Foundation in April.

That followed a Daily Mail report that only £14,115 of the £1.7m donated had gone to help causes in Africa.

Drogba, 38, said he is seeking damages and an apology from the newspaper.

The Commission, which used its powers to analyse the foundation’s accounts, said it was satisfied there was no foul play.

But it was critical of the fact the foundation failed to separate its activities from those of an Africa-based arm of the organisation.

That meant funds collected in the UK were not being spent on hospitals or clinics, as donors were led to believe, but were being saved in a UK current account.

“Donors will have expected their donations to have been used for charitable purposes, not accumulated in a bank account,” the report read.

“Donors to the English charity may also have been misled about the activities of the charity they were supporting.

“This is because the impression was given that the English charity had financed the activities of the Ivory Coast …

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