Ivory Coasts Elye Wahi arrested on match-fixing allegations two weeks before World Cup
An Ivory Coast star was arrested less than two weeks before the tournament as part of an alleged match-fixing investigation, according to The Athletic.Elye Wahi, 23, started Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador in Philadelphia on Sunday, playing 55 minutes and hitting the crossbar before being substituted.But before traveling to the World Cup, the forward had been taken into custody by French police on May 29 as part of an ongoing probe connected to his time at Nice.Wahi has not been charged with a crime.The investigation is centered on whether Wahi deliberately picked up a yellow card during Nice’s Ligue 1 match against Metz on May 17.The Athletic revealed that French authorities are looking into allegations including organized fraud, organized sports corruption, handling proceeds of crime and money laundering.A spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor’s office confirmed to the outlet that a 23-year-old Ligue 1 player had been arrested on May 29 and later released after being questioned in police custody.The spokesperson did not name Wahi, but said the player was not part of France’s World Cup squad.The alleged incident came after suspicious betting patterns were flagged around Wahi receiving a yellow card in the Metz match, according to the report.Wahi was booked in the 35th minute for a late challenge on Metz defender Sadibou Sane.He had also committed a foul two minutes earlier on Bouna Sarr, though that tackle did not result in a card.The booking carried immediate consequences for Nice.
It was Wahi’s fifth yellow card of the Ligue 1 season, meaning he was suspended for the first leg of the club’s relegation playoff against Saint-Etienne.He returned for the second leg three days later and scored twice in a 4-1 win that kept Nice in France’s top division.Wahi was named man of the match before being arrested by French police after the game.The case involves alleged spot-fixing, which refers to manipulating a specific event within a game rathe...