Tribal Football

Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi arrested for alleged match fixing offences

Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi arrested for alleged match fixing offences
Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi arrested for alleged match fixing offencesREUTERS

Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi had reportedly ben arrested for alleged fixing offences on the eve of the 2026 World Cup.

Wahi, 23, who made his World Cup debut in the Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador on Sunday (June 14), was arrested on suspicion of fixing offences less than two weeks before the tournament.

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Per The Athletic, the forward is under an active investigation, which is seeking to determine whether he deliberately earned a yellow card while playing for his club, Nice, against Metz on May 17.

He was arrested by French police on May 29, immediately after scoring a brace in Nice’s 4-1 relegation play-off win over Saint- Etienne.

A spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor’s office told The Athletic: “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.

“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.”