IVORY COAST star Elye Wahi was reportedly arrested less than two weeks before the World Cup over alleged fixing offences.
The Eintracht Frankfurt forward, 23, spent the second half of last season on loan with French club Nice.
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Ivory Coast star Elye Wahi was reportedly arrested just two weeks before the World Cup Credit: Getty
The forward is allegedly being investigated over claims of match fixing Credit: Getty
He is subject to an investigation over claims he deliberately earned a yellow card against Metz on May 17, according to the Athletic.
The report says Wahi was arrested by French Police on May 29, the same day he scored a brace in a 4-1 win against St Etienne.
The result was crucial as it helped Nice survive relegation from France’s top flight.
He later jetted out to Philadelphia for the start of Ivory Coast‘s World Cup camp and started their tournament opener against Ecuador on Saturday.
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Wahi hit the bar during the 1-0 win before being subbed off in the 56th minute.
Marseille’s 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.”
Officials are looking into claims that Wahi deliberately earned a yellow card for Nice last month Credit: Reuters
The investigation is said to have started after France’s governing body Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) were alerted to suspicious betting patterns in Nice’s game against Metz.
It included bets on Wahi to receive a yellow card during the game.
Wahi picked up his booking in the 35th minute after a challenge on Sadibou Sane.
It meant he was suspended for the first leg of their relegation play-off tie against St Etienne after landing his fifth booking of the season.
It’s understood Wahi has not been charged with an offence with the investigation ongoing during his stint at the World Cup.
JattvibeSport has contacted the Ivorian FA for comment.
Wahi is set to feature for Ivory Coast in their upcoming games against Germany and Curacao.
He started his career on the books of Montpellier before moving to Lens for one year in 2023.
One year later, he joined Marseille for a fee of £25million but only spent five months there before moving to Frankfurt in January 2025.
After less than a year in Germany, he was loaned to Nice until the end of the 2025-26 season.
He impressed in France as he scored nine times from 19 games in all competitions.
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