World Cup player arrested and under investigation for alleged fixing and corruption
Football star Elye Wahi was arrested for alleged spot-fixing and 'organised sports corruption' just weeks before making his World Cup debut, reports claim.
The 23-year-old, who is representing the Ivory Coast at the international tournament, is said to have been nicked after officials picked up on suspicious betting patterns.
Sources speaking under the condition of anonymity told The Athletic that an investigation into the ace's alleged offences - which are said to have taken place during the 2025/26 season - are ongoing.
Wahi's arrest came after suspicions were roused that the striker allegedly earned a yellow card on purpose while playing a pivotal match against Metz back in May, while he was on loan at Ligue 1 side Nice.
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He was subsequently apprehended by French police and quizzed by cops nearly two weeks after the game, which was held on 17 May.
Wahi travelled to the United States for the World Cup and appeared to have had no issues entering the country. He has yet to be charged with an offence.
Officials are reportedly now investigating if the Paris-born footie player purposely got himself a yellow card during the game on 17 May.
Sources have alleged that Wahi came under scrutiny after the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) picked up on a number of suspicious bets being placed on the clash between Nice and Metz.
Many of these reportedly included punts on the forward receiving a yellow card - so alarm bells really started ringing when he got one in the 35th minute. This also marked Wahi's fifth yellow card of the Ligue 1 season.
He was penalised by the referee after tackling Metz defender Sadibou Sane, which came hot on the heels of him sliding into Bouna Sarr.
As a result, the 23-year-old was suspended for the first part of Nice's game against Saint-Etienne on 26 May.
He then returned to the pitch for the second leg a few days later and netted a brace against his rivals - and in doing so, secured Nice’s Ligue 1 status.
Wahi was then reportedly arrested shortly afterwards by anti-corruption specialists from the French police, which came just two weeks before the World Cup kicked off.
In a statement shared with The Athletic, a spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor’s office confirmed investigations into Wahi's alleged offences are currently ongoing.
It said: "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 organised fraud, organised 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."
Wahi previously represented France at youth level, including at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, but has since played twice for Ivory Coast.
He was in the starting lineup for Ivory Coast's game against Ecuador on Monday (15 June), which took place in Philadelphia. His team bagged a 1-0 win.
'The Elephants' are scheduled to take on Germany in Toronto on Saturday (20 June).
Olivia Burke