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.
“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.
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.
Credit: bbc
