World Cup 2026: Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi arrested on spot-fixing charges
A spot-fixing investigation against Elle Wahi has been sparked after suspicious betting patterns were found that led to a yellow card during a match for French side Nice. He was arrested on May 29 and still has not been charged — which is why he was able to travel to the US for the World Cup match.
France's Nice forward Elye Vahy was arrested by French police on May 29 on suspicion of spot-fixing, it emerged.
According to the report, some bettors were betting on Wahi's yellow card during the match between Nice and Metz on May 17 — which was noticed by league governing body Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP). An investigation has started on the suspicious betting patterns coming from it. In particular, Wahiki was booked in the 35th minute of that match for a foul on Metz defender Sadibou Sane.
The match ended 0-0. During the inquest, it was revealed that Wahi had been part of another questionable challenge prior to that foul, but was not given a yellow card for that other incident.
Notably, the arrest came just days after Wahi was selected for Ivory Coast's World Cup squad. He also made his World Cup debut for Ivory Coast — a 1-0 win over Ecuador. Vahini played 56 minutes in that match; He had two shots.
Although arrested, Wahi has not yet been formally charged. Due to this he was allowed to go to America and participate in the World Cup. The report states that it is not clear that FIFA was not aware of the arrest and charges beforehand. The article also mentions that The Athletic has consulted with Wahi, the Ivory Coast Federation and FIFA on the matter.
Ivory Coast will play their next match against Germany on Saturday after their impressive opening win. What Wahi's condition will be for that match will only be clear if FIFA handles these allegations.