Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi arrested over match-fixing allegations weeks before World Cup

Elye Wahi, the Ivory Coast forward, was arrested by French police on 28 May on suspicion of match-fixing offences, less than two weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off — a tournament he is set to participate in.

According to a report by The Athletic, the 23-year-old is the subject of an active investigation into whether he deliberately earned a yellow card while playing for Nice against Metz in Ligue 1 on 17 May. The nature of the allegation suggests investigators are examining whether the booking was engineered to benefit those with a financial stake in the outcome of a specific booking market.

A spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest, stating: “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.”

The spokesperson added that Wahi was released after being interviewed in police custody and clarified that he is not a member of the French national squad competing at the World Cup. The investigation, however, remains ongoing.

Wahi had started Ivory Coast’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Sunday night, suggesting his international participation has not yet been affected by the legal proceedings. FIFA and the Ivory Coast Football Association have been approached for comment.