Ivory Coast’s Wahi denied entry to Canada

Ivory Coast international Elye Wahi has been denied entry to Canada for his country’s World Cup group game against Germany on Saturday.

The Nice forward was reportedly, external arrested last month before the World Cup over alleged involvement in spot-fixing in Ligue 1.

Wahi, 23 – who started Sunday’s World Cup win over Ecuador – has been accused of deliberately earning a yellow card while playing for Nice against Metz in May.

Spot-fixing is the practice of deliberately affecting match incidents in a way that allows people to profit through betting markets.

A statement to the Athletic from the public prosecutor’s office in Marseille confirmed a 23-year-old football player, competing in France’s Ligue 1, was arrested, without naming Wahi.

On Wednesday, Ligue de Football (LFP) confirmed they had been alerted to “an unusually high volume of bets placed on a warning involving the player Elye Wahi”.

The Ivory Coast’s football federation (FIF) say they had not been told of any “judicial or administrative proceedings” against Wahi, but confirmed he had not been able to obtain authorisation to enter Canada.

“The Ivorian Football Federation has taken note of the various articles and information published on this Wednesday, June 17, 2026, concerning the Ivorian international Elye Wahi,” it said in a statement.

“To date, the FIF has not been officially notified of any judicial or administrative proceedings involving him.

“In this particularly delicate period, the FIF extends all its support to the player and reaffirms its confidence in him. Elye Wahi remains an important element of the Ivory Coast national team.

“The FIF also informs that the player will not be able to join the delegation’s trip to Canada. Indeed, the necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage.

“Elye Wahi will therefore remain in the United States pending the team’s return.”

After facing Germany in Toronto, the Ivory Coast then play Curacao in Philadelphia next Thursday.

The statement from the Marseille public prosecutor’s office said the arrest was made “as part of an investigation opened by the Marseille public prosecutor’s office into allegations of organised fraud, organised sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering”.

The player was released after being interviewed in police custody and the investigations remain ongoing, officials added.

Wahi’s booking in the game was his fifth in the league so earned him a suspension for the first leg of Nice’s relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne on 26 May.

That game ended in a 0-0 draw but Wahi returned for the second leg in which he scored twice in a 4-1 victory to help Nice keep their place in the top flight.

BBC Sport has contacted Wahi’s representatives and Fifa for comment.

The LFP said: “At this stage, and given the ongoing investigation and the confidentiality requirements imposed by the police authorities, the LFP will not make any further comments and has not initiated disciplinary proceedings. However, it reserves the right to do so depending on the progress of the investigation.

“The LFP reiterates that it remains fully committed to ensuring the integrity of its competitions and that it will act with the utmost firmness against any behaviour that could compromise it.”

Wahi is the second World Cup player to be denied entry to Canada after Ghana’s Thomas Partey was refused a visa because of ongoing criminal proceedings in the UK.

Former Arsenal midfielder Partey pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022 and is scheduled to stand trial next year.

Partey wrongly told officials in Canada he had never been arrested or charged with a crime and missed Ghana’s World Cup win over Panama as a result.

The Ghanaian government sought permission for him to enter the country briefly to take part in the game but that appeal was rejected at a federal court in Ottawa.