Elye Wahi starred at the World Cup for the Ivory Coast in their 1-0 win over Ecuador. But just two weeks ahead of the tournament, he was arrested on suspicion of fixing offences, according to credible reports. The 23-year-old is still under the cloud of investigation, as his debut World Cup journey is interrupted.

Wahi spent the second half of the 2025-26 season on loan with Nice and scored 9 goals and registered 2 assists in just 19 games. But it was his actions during a league game against Metz on May 17 that drew attention. Elye Wahi picked up a yellow card in the 35th minute of the game and played the entire 90 minutes as the game finished 0-0. The yellow card was his fifth of the season, and it triggered an automatic one-game ban from Ligue 1.

As Nice finished 16th, they had to play a two-legged relegation play-off against St. Etienne to retain their Ligue 1 status. Wahi watched the first leg from the sidelines as he was suspended. However, he made a starring return in the second leg by scoring twice to help his team win the game 4-1 and secure their top-flight status. On the same night, he was taken into custody by the anti-corruption specialists of the French Police, according to The Athletic.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), Ligue 1’s official governing body, launched an investigation after receiving several notifications of suspicious betting patterns. The tips involved wagers on Elye Wahi to receive a yellow card against Metz. Wahi committed a foul on Bouna Sarr in the 33rd minute and avoided a booking. Just two minutes later, another late tackle on Sadibou Sane did earn a yellow card as he rashly caught Sane.

“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,” a spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor’s office told The Athletic.

“The LFP reiterates that it remains fully committed to safeguarding the integrity of its competitions and that it will take the strongest possible action against any behaviour likely to compromise it,” read a statement from LFP to The Athletic. The league that was rocked by the 1993 Valenciennes-Marseille Bribery Scandal has gone almost three decades without another high-profile incident until now.

However, they also confirmed that the player was released immediately. But they confirmed that the player was not charged with any crime but was still under investigation. But the authorities had no say on his World Cup participation or travel overseas, as he was an Ivory Coast international.

Born on the outskirts of Paris and having represented France at youth levels, Wahi switched his allegiance to Ivory Coast in 2026. Having made his debut for the African giants in April, the striker was named in the World Cup squad despite his arrest.

He started their first game against Ecuador in Group E and rattled the crossbar just two minutes before he was substituted. The striker made way for Ange-Yoan Bonny as Amad Diallo clinched a later winner for Ivory Coast. But as Ivory Coast prepares for their second match of the tournament, they will be without the services of Wahi.

Elye Wahi denied entry to Canada

After a winning start to the tournament, Ivory Coast will meet Germany with an eye on sealing qualification to the knockouts. The match will take place at Toronto Stadium on Saturday. But the Côte d’Ivoire football federation (FIF) confirmed that Elye Wahi will not be travelling to Canada and will miss out on the clash.

FIF confirmed that “the necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage,” meaning his Canadian entry has been denied. It falls in line with the ongoing investigation of Elye Wahi.

Canada enforces strict immigration rules against players with active criminal investigations. Their immigration rules state that persons who have/are “committed or been convicted of a crime may not be allowed” into the country. Recently, Canada denied a visa to Ghanaian international Thomas Partey. Partey is facing alleged rape charges and is awaiting trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court later this year.

Elye Wahi will be cheering his team from afar as he patiently awaits their return to the United States. They will meet Curacao on June 25 on the final group stage matchday in Philadelphia. If his team qualifies for the knockouts from Group E, they will play all their matches in either the USA or Mexico and will not need to travel to Canada.