Former Schalke star who played with Mesut Ozil and was sentenced to prison over faked death speaks out
A former Schalke academy prospect has pleaded his innocence after fleeing Germany due to faking his own death.
Hiannik Kamba came out of the same academy as Manuel Neuer, Mesut Ozil and Leroy Sane, but is now on the run in his native Congo.
Having failed to make it as a Bundesliga regular, Kamba moved to Africa in 2016 where shock news emerged that he died in an accident.
A local newspaper ran an obituary and his wife released a teary statement, however, in 2019 he was spotted wondering the streets in Germany.
He and his wife allegedly collected €1.2million in an insurance scam, and in November 2021 a court in Essen sentenced the couple to three years and ten months in prison for fraud.
Now, having returned to Congo with his two-year-old son, the former footballer has given a statement to German outlet via email.
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“I'm innocent,” the 34-year-old began. “I am very disappointed in Germany.
“They had and still have zero evidence against me, but first they want to send me to prison and then deport me. Then I'd rather go to Africa voluntarily.
“Germany wants to portray me as evil just because I once played for Schalke.
“For me, nobody did their job properly. Judges, prosecutors, criminal investigators and the police.
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“As a foreigner, you don't have any advantages with something like that anyway, even if you're innocent. Unfortunately, that is the truth.”
BILD claim that Kamba received summons to appear in court last year, while Essen’s chief public prosecutor, Anette Milk, said: "We are looking for a man with an international arrest warrant."