The former president of the Cameroonian football federation (Fecafoot), Iya Mohammed, who is currently in detention at Kondengui central prison, is said to have had the option to avoid this situation by refraining from running as a candidate in the federation’s last elections. This claim was made by Nyassa Soleil, director of Canon Sportif de Yaoundé and a close friend of the former president.
Nyassa Soleil stated in an interview with the Cameroonian site Camfoot that there were proposals made to Iya Mohammed, suggesting that if he renounced his candidacy, he could have avoided imprisonment. However, Iya Mohammed chose to confront his detractors and declined the option, stating that he preferred to face imprisonment if it was related to football.
Nyassa Soleil also expressed confidence in Iya Mohammed’s eventual release, likening it to triumphant returns of other figures. He said, “The complaint against Iya Mohammed will never succeed. I am not predicting anything, but Iya will come out of prison like Vincent Onana or Madame Haman Adama and maybe even better.”
Iya Mohammed has been under arrest since early 2013, facing accusations of mismanagement of the state company Sodecoton. Despite his detention, he was re-elected president of Fecafoot from prison.
