Stoke City star Saido Berahino’s charity fund investigated by watchdog after WaterAid says it received no donations
£12m striker held glitzy gala dinner in aid of African kids but allegedly failed to pass promised cash to charity
PREMIER League ace Saido Berahino is being probed over claims his charitable foundation failed to hand over promised donations.
The Charity Commission watchdog is investigating after WaterAid said it had not received any money after almost two years.
The £70k-a-week Stoke City star denied he had promised the charity any money from the event and said the fund has since invested in projects in Africa.
He launched his Saido Berahino Foundation (SBF) with a glitzy gala dinner at London's Park Lane Hilton in May 2015.
Berahino, then playing for West Brom, posed for photos in front of boards with the SBF logo and the words "In Support of WaterAid".
The star-studded event was attended by a string of Albion first team footballers and club legend Cyrille Regis as well as Irish model Vogue Williams and Burundi runner Diane Nukuri.
Sunderland striker Victor Anichebe acted as auctioneer, with one bidder paying £1,000 for a personal coaching session with Berahino.
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The party was billed as a "fundraising gala" for WaterAid, and the foundation also promised to create hundreds of scholarships for African children.
Today WaterAid revealed it had not received any money from the event and there had been no contact from the SBF for more than a year.
A spokesman : "WaterAid was approached by the SBF in February 2015 regarding a dinner to be held on May 5, 2015, at the Hilton Park Lane to raise funds for the foundation.
"The event was not managed or paid for by WaterAid.
"WaterAid staff attended the event and we provided images and film for use on the foundation website but made no financial contribution towards the event.
"It was WaterAid's understanding that we would receive a donation from the event.
"WaterAid has not, to date, received any money from the SBF.
"WaterAid has not had contact with representatives from the SBF since March 2016."
The Charity Commission said: "The Saido Berahino Foundation is not registered with the Charity Commission.
"We are also aware that the charity Wateraid has confirmed that they have not received any money from the Foundation.
"We will now be getting in touch with the Foundation to decide whether there are regulatory issues we need to assess.”
The SBF's websites are currently unavailable online and its Twitter account has not been active since March last year.
It was not itself a registered charity but was managed by the The Philanthropy Foundation, which is registered with the Charity Commission.
Trustee Charles Pike said: "WaterAid was considered as a potential beneficiary of funds from The Berahino Fund at the Philanthropy Foundation.
"But because the Foundation did not receive significant funds after the dinner, the Foundation was not in a position to make a donation."
Its latest publicly available financial summary on the Charity Commission website shows it had £4,618 income but spent £24,234 for the year ending October 31, 2015.
When it was launched the SBF website said 108 scholarships would be created for "disadvantaged" and "underprivileged" African children every year from September 2015.
In a statement released by West Brom at the time, Berahino added: "It is very moving to see the struggle my people follow back in Burundi.
"I know I have been blessed to enjoy good fortune and it is right that I try to share that with people who need it most."
Berahino said: "There is no comment" as he returned to his £875,000 six-bedroom mansion in Cannock, Staffs, following last night's game at Burnley.
A representative of the footballer denied his foundation had promised money to WaterAid.
He said: "As far as I am aware Saido never promised them anything.
"I think it was discussed but never promised and I think what WaterAid wanted was for Saido to be a brand ambassador.
"The foundation is not under investigation just because the commission is looking into a claim someone has made.
"The player doesn't get any of the money, it goes to the lawyers and whatever is done with the money is approved by lawyers.
"As far as I am aware the charity is still going and spent money on charitable projects in Burundi last summer.
"If the political situation improves in Burundi then money will be spent on charitable projects there this summer."
Berahino was born in the war-torn African nation and came to England at the age of ten.
He joined West Bromwich Albion aged 11 and turned professional with the Premier League club seven years later.
He finally left the club and joined rivals Stoke City on a £12million transfer in January this year.
After he signed it emerged Berahino had served an eight-week suspension by the FA for failing an out-of-competition drugs test in September last year.
He recently claimed he failed the test because someone had spiked his drink.
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