The Ivory Coast will be without striker Elye Wahi for Saturday’s World Cup match against Germany. Canadian officials denied him a visa due to an ongoing match-fixing investigation. Wahi traveled with the team to the United States for the tournament but won’t cross the border into Canada with the rest of the squad.
Fabrizio Romano reported the news on social media, saying the denial stems from a probe into suspicious betting patterns surrounding a Ligue 1 match last season. Canadian immigration rules bar entry to individuals under active investigation for fraud or corruption.
The Betting Flag That Started It All
Wahi was arrested on May 29 by Marseille prosecutors, just two weeks before the World Cup kicked off. The case centers on a May 17 game between his club Nice and Metz. According to The Athletic’s Jacob Whitehead, an abnormal volume of bets were placed on Wahi receiving a yellow card in that match. He did get booked.
A prosecutor’s office spokesperson confirmed the arrest in a statement. “We can confirm that a 23-year-old football player, competing in France’s Ligue 1, was arrested on May 29 as part of an investigation opened by the Marseille public prosecutor’s office into allegations of organized fraud, organized sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering,” they said. “He was released after he was interviewed in police custody. The investigations remain ongoing. The football player is not a member of the French selection taking part in the World Cup.”
The last line was clarification that Wahi plays for the Ivory Coast, not France, which is hosting the current World Cup alongside the U.S. and Mexico.
What This Means for the Ivory Coast
The Ivory Coast sits second in Group E after a 1-0 win over Ecuador. Wahi started that match and played 55 minutes. He hit the crossbar in the second half but couldn’t find the net. Now he’ll stay in the U.S. while his teammates head to Canada for what looks like a pivotal group-stage game against Germany.
Nice had no public comment when reached by reporters. Wahi’s camp has not issued a statement since the arrest. The investigation remains open, and it’s unclear if more players or staff from the club are being looked at.
The match against Germany is scheduled for Saturday. The Ivory Coast will need to adjust its attack without the 23-year-old forward, who had been a regular fixture in the starting eleven.
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