Elye Wahi, Ivorian striker, arrested on match-fixing and sports fraud charges
Elye Wahi, 23, striker for Nice and Côte d'Ivoire, was arrested on 29 May in France on organised sports fraud, corruption and money laundering charges linked to a suspicious yellow card.
Elye Wahi, Ivorian striker, arrested on match-fixing and sports fraud charges
A 23-year-old Ivorian footballer was taken into police custody in late May in France as part of an investigation into organised sports fraud. Despite his arrest, he is currently participating in the 2026 World Cup with his national team.
According to information revealed by the New York Times, Elye Wahi, a striker playing for Nice in Ligue 1, is the subject of judicial proceedings opened by the Marseille prosecutor's office. The facts in question concern a caution he received on 17 May during a match against Metz. This yellow card was particularly suspicious in the eyes of investigators.
That day, Wahi was already under a caution. The caution in question made him unavailable for the first leg of the play-off match against Saint-Étienne, which ended in a goalless draw. A few weeks later, on 29 May precisely, French police arrested him. This arrest came just after he scored a brace in his team's victory against Saint-Étienne, a success that allowed Nice to maintain their place in the top tier of French football.
The player was released after being questioned whilst under arrest. The investigation is continuing actively. He is not a member of the France team participating in the World Cup, a representative of the Marseille prosecutor's office clarified to The Athletic, a sports media outlet belonging to the New York Times group.
Despite these serious accusations, Wahi joined Côte d'Ivoire's squad normally for the world competition. He was even selected to start in the 1-0 victory against Ecuador, which took place on Sunday in Philadelphia. In the second half, he proved dangerous, striking the post.
Following publication of The Athletic's investigation, the Professional Football League (LFP) confirmed that it had been alerted about an unusual volume of betting on Elye Wahi receiving a caution. In a statement, the body indicated that it would make no further comments for the time being, given the ongoing proceedings and the confidentiality obligations imposed by the police authorities. No disciplinary proceedings have been initiated at this stage, but the LFP reserves the right to open proceedings depending on how the investigation develops. For the moment, no accomplice has been identified by investigators.
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano
It should be noted that the information presented relates to the preliminary investigation phase and that the presumption of innocence applies fully to the person concerned until a possible final conviction.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)