Ivory Coast's Elye Wahi Under Investigation for Match-Fixing
Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi, currently playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, was arrested on suspicion of match-fixing less than two weeks before the tournament, according to The Athletic. The 23-year-old is being investigated for allegedly deliberately receiving a yellow card while playing for French club OGC Nice in a Ligue 1 match against FC Metz on May 17.
French police arrested Wahi on May 29, shortly after he scored twice in a match against AS Saint-Étienne, helping Nice secure their Ligue 1 status. He has since traveled to the United States for the World Cup and started in Ivory Coast's 1-0 win over Ecuador in Philadelphia, hitting the crossbar in the second half. Ivory Coast's next match is against Germany in Toronto.
A spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor's office confirmed the arrest and investigation, 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 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 investigation was triggered after the Ligue de Football Professionnel received alerts about suspicious betting patterns linked to Wahi receiving a booking in the Nice vs. Metz match. The yellow card was shown in the 35th minute for a late challenge on Metz defender Sadibou Sane. This led to a suspension for a playoff match against Saint-Étienne due to yellow card accumulation.
Wahi later returned to action, scoring twice and winning man of the match in the second leg, before being arrested by anti-corruption police. He has not been charged, and the investigation continues. The forward switched international allegiance from French youth teams to Ivory Coast earlier this year and has played 55 minutes in the World Cup, hitting the crossbar before being substituted.
Wahi's career includes spells at Montpellier, Lens, Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt, and a loan to Nice, where he scored five goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances.
