Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi is back in contention to face Germany after a sudden Canada visa reversal amid an ongoing betting investigation.
Wahi had initially been set to miss Saturday’s World Cup group-stage match in Toronto after the Ivory Coast Football Federation said the required paperwork for him to enter Canada had not been secured.
Hours later, that changed.
The federation said Wahi had been cleared to travel after all, ending a brief spell of uncertainty over whether the 23-year-old would be available for one of Ivory Coast’s biggest games of the group stage.
The late U-turn comes with Wahi under investigation in France over suspected spot-fixing allegations linked to his club career with Nice.
He has not been charged with any crime.
According to The Athletic, the investigation is examining whether Wahi deliberately received a yellow card during Nice’s Ligue 1 match against Metz on May 17.
The French league later confirmed there were ongoing proceedings related to an unusual volume of bets involving a booking for Wahi in that game.
Wahi was shown a yellow card in the 0-0 draw.
Spot-fixing refers to the manipulation of a specific event within a match, such as a card, corner or throw-in, rather than the final score.
The Marseille public prosecutor’s office told The Athletic that a 23-year-old Ligue 1 player was arrested May 29 as part of an investigation into alleged organized fraud, organized sports corruption, handling proceeds of crime and money laundering.
The player was questioned in police custody and released, with the investigation still ongoing.
Wahi was allowed to travel to North America for the World Cup after being released from custody.
He started Ivory Coast’s opening match, a 1-0 win over Ecuador in Philadelphia, before his status for the Germany game was thrown into doubt.
The federation first said Wahi would remain in the United States because the “administrative authorizations” required for him to enter Canada had not been obtained.
By Thursday afternoon, the situation had shifted, and Wahi was cleared to enter the country.
The reversal means Ivory Coast can plan for Germany with Wahi available again, though the off-field scrutiny around the striker remains.
Wahi joined Nice on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt in January and later scored twice in a playoff win over Saint-Etienne that helped the club stay in Ligue 1.
Now, his World Cup continues under a spotlight.
The visa issue may have been resolved, but the betting investigation following Wahi into the tournament has not.
