The police have been instructed to stop giving information to the media on the anticipated arrests of soccer referees and officials in Operation Dribble, a spokesperson said on Monday.
Information would only be supplied if there had been an arrest with police no longer saying that warrants were being sought and that certain individuals were due to be arrested, senior superintendent Selby Bokaba said. He said the instruction came from national commissioner Jackie Selebi.
Another group of soccer referees and officials were expected to appear in courts around the country on Monday to face corruption charges and, earlier, police said more arrests were expected.
So far the police have arrested 19 referees and officials during the investigation requested by the SA Football Association.
The latest arrest was of a match commissioner in Welkom on Sunday. Three referees and two officials are to appear in the East London magistrate’s court, one referee in the Thohoyandou magistrate’s court, one referee in the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court, and the match commissioner arrested on Sunday could join an official in an appearance in the Welkom magistrate’s court.
Police were obtaining warrants to carry out more arrests on Monday, one of which ”will send shock waves”, Bokaba said earlier. – Sapa