Rape charges against South African football international Jabu Mahlangu, formerly Jabu Pule, were dropped on Wednesday on the grounds of insufficient evidence, police said.
The 26-year-old Bafana Bafana star had been charged earlier in the day with raping a 19-year-old woman after he handed himself in at a local police station, accompanied by his lawyers.
However, police spokeswoman Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht said the charges had been formally dropped when he appeared at the Johannesburg high court.
"The case was thrown out because of insufficient evidence so he′s a free man," she said.
The midfielder has been playing recently for Johannesburg-based Orlando Pirates after being sacked by Austrian club SV Mattersburg following a night out drinking with friends.
