Didier Drogba charity cleared of fraud but may have 'misled' donors

An investigation into a charity set up by ex-Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba to help children in Ivory Coast has found it may have misled donors.

But the Charity Commission has found no evidence of fraud or corruption by the Didier Drogba Foundation.

Their probe began in April following a claim by the Daily Mail that only £14,115 of the £1.7m raised by the charity had gone to help the West African country.

David Beckham, Princess Beatrice, Bono, Frank Lampard and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich all backed the charity.

Drogba said he would be seeking an apology and damages from the newspaper.

"The Charities Commission has today confirmed, after a seven-month investigation, that no funds have been misapplied by my foundation," he said.

"They have confirmed that there has been no financial wrongdoing, no fraud and no corruption."

The commission had discussed "serious concerns" with Drogba, and looked at the foundation's financial records.

It reported they "did not support the level of charitable activity claimed to have been undertaken by the charity".

A number of activities were carried out by La Fondation Didier Drogba, a separate organisation based in the striker's Ivory Coast home nation.

But the English charity, established in 2009, spent no money on charitable activity and was instead raising cash for a hospital project, which was delayed because of the unstable political situation in Ivory Coast.

The charity was criticised for not making this clear to donors and said the lack of distinction between the two groups may also have misled donors "about the activities of the charity they were supporting".

Potential donors may also have been misled after three London balls were recorded as "charitable activities" rather than "fund-raising costs".

"We have been able to satisfy our most serious concerns in relation to the charity by confirming that funds have not been misapplied and that all funds raised in the English charity's name have been held by the English charity," the report concluded.

"We are also able to confirm that we found no evidence of fraud or corruption on behalf of the charity.

"We have issued the charity with an action plan to ensure that the outstanding concerns, particularly with regard to transparency to donors and the public, are addressed by the charity's trustees."