Fergie accuser: Skeletons come out of closet

By Rafiq Rohan

As Sir Alex Ferguson jetted out of South Africa, Nadia Abrahams, the mystery woman in the "groping" affair, appears to have a few skeletons hidden in her young closet.

According to a close friend of hers, Abrahams, 21, is attracted to older men. And her boyfriend Brian Ebden, a key player in the alleged groping affair, is allegedly experiencing financial difficulties after the collapse of his advertising business.

Abrahams alleged at the weekend that Ferguson indecently assaulted her after a night of partying at Manenberg's, a jazz club in Cape Town.

On Sunday liquidator Bernard Gutman confirmed that ACMP Advertising, a company owned by Ebden, had been placed under liquidation.

Reports suggest that Abrahams and Ebden sold the story of the alleged groping to a British tabloid for as much as R1,2-million, and that the negotiations were handled by Ebden.

The Directorate of Public Prosecutions has declined to proceed with charges of indecent assault against Ferguson, saying it was a waste of time.

Abrahams claimed she had offered Ferguson a lift to his hotel after a night at the jazz club, and that he touched her thigh suggestively.

Cape attorney and South African Football Association executive member Alex Abercrombie, who is hosting Ferguson, said the Manchester United supremo was not likely to counter-sue Abrahams.

"Considering the immense wealth of Sir Alex, he is unlikely to get anything out of a lawsuit against Miss Abrahams, so I would advise him to get on the plane back to Britain and forget the entire affair," Abercrombie said.

He added it would be interesting to see what the newspaper that paid for the story did now that the case had been rejected by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

Abrahams's close friend, who asked not to be named, said: "Nadia is one of the nicest people I know, and she leads a very clean life. But she does tend to go overboard when she's had a few drinks. She is also prone to flirting, especially with older guys."

Although she was attracted to older men, her friend said she could never see her as a "kept woman".

"From the time she left school she always worked. Even though she got a little crazy when drunk, when sober she could be your sister or the most ordinary person imaginable."

Her friend also said Nadia had had a "full-on" relationship with the owner of a Cape Flats nightclub.

Meanwhile Guy Hawthorne reports that Ferguson, who was a guest at the Emerald Safari Resort and Casino on the Vaal River at the weekend, was scheduled to give media interviews on Sunday, but the session was cancelled because of the allegations against him.

Attempts to approach him were thwarted by burly security officials. They even accompanied Ferguson and his wife to breakfast on Sunday, and intervened whenever anyone approached the couple.

Ferguson was the guest speaker at a gala dinner at the hotel on Saturday. He was enthusiastically received by the large crowd and no mention was made of the allegations against him.

He did make a point during his speech of thanking the security personnel for doing "a great job". And so they did, even accompanying him to the toilet during the evening.