Elye Wahi started Ivory Coast’s opening World Cup win over Ecuador on Monday. By Wednesday, the 23-year-old striker was blocked from entering Canada for Saturday’s match against Germany – the latest twist in a spot-fixing investigation that saw him arrested last month.
The Ivory Coast football federation (FIF) said on Thursday that “the necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage”. Wahi will remain in the United States pending the team’s return, the FIF added.
“Elye Wahi will miss Ivory Coast's World Cup match against Germany after being denied entry to Canada amid a spot-fixing investigation.”
The Nice forward was reportedly arrested on 29 May over alleged involvement in spot-fixing in Ligue 1. The Marseille public prosecutor’s office confirmed a 23-year-old Ligue 1 player was arrested as part of an investigation into “organised fraud, organised sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering”. Wahi was questioned in police custody and released; the investigation continues.
At the centre of the case is a yellow card Wahi received while playing for Nice against Metz on 17 May. The French football league (LFP) said on Wednesday it had been alerted to “an unusually high volume of bets placed on a warning involving the player Elye Wahi”. The LFP passed the information to police and gambling authorities.
The booking was Wahi’s fifth in the league, triggering a suspension for the first leg of Nice’s relegation play-off against Saint-Étienne on 26 May. That match ended 0-0, but Wahi returned for the second leg and scored twice in a 4-1 win that kept Nice in the top flight.
The FIF said it had not been officially notified “of any judicial or administrative proceedings” concerning Wahi. “During this particularly delicate period,” the federation said, “the FIF offers its full support to the player and reaffirms its confidence in him. Elye Wahi remains an important member of the Côte d’Ivoire national team.”
Wahi joined Nice on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, scoring nine goals in 19 games and helping the club reach the French Cup final. Now he will watch from the United States as his teammates face Germany in Toronto.