A South African court has dropped drugs charges against US socialite Paris Hilton after her arrest at a World Cup game.

Hilton was arrested in Port Elizabeth after the Netherlands' defeat of Brazil in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

She appeared at a special court on Friday evening.

A friend of Hilton with her at the stadium was found guilty of marijuana possession, her publicist said.

Hilton's friend was sentenced to pay a fine or spend 30 days in jail, it was reported.

Hilton appeared in the court wearing a beige dress and a glittery necklace with her hair in two ponytails, a reporter said.

In court she was addressed as "accused number one".

She thanked the court before leaving.

Her publicist told a news agency that she had been questioned by police but no charges had been brought.

"I can confirm that the incident was a complete misunderstanding and it was actually another person in the group who did it. The case has been dropped against Paris and no charges will be made," Hilton's spokeswoman said.

After her release she posted a note on the social networking site Twitter saying: "I was assisting the police with the investigation and answering their questions."