Ivory Coast striker Elie Wahi arrested on suspicion of match fixing

Ivory Coast striker Elie Wahi was arrested by French police on May 29, accused of being involved in organizing a match with a manipulated result, as revealed by the website The Athletic. The 23-year-old, who plays for Nice on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt, was detained shortly after a Ligue 1 match against Saint-Étienne, where he scored two goals in a 4-1 victory.

According to the information, the investigation was launched after the French Professional Football League (LFP) received alerts about suspicious bets on the game between Nice and Metz, held on May 17th. The bets in question included the possibility of Wahi receiving a yellow card. During the match, he was booked with a yellow card in the 35th minute, which was his fifth of the season, resulting in his suspension for the first play-off game against Saint-Étienne.


After interrogation, Wahi was released, but the investigation continues. A spokesperson for the Marseille Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed that "a 23-year-old Ligue 1 player was arrested on 29 May as part of an investigation involving allegations of organized fraud, corruption in sport, management of proceeds from criminal activities and money laundering. He was released after questioning. The investigation continues."

Wahi had been called up to Ivory Coast's 2026 World Cup squad on May 15, just four days before the suspected game. In the competition in the United States, he was a starter in the match against Ecuador, which ended 1-0, where he played 55 minutes and even hit the crossbar. Ivory Coast's next game will be against Germany on Saturday in Toronto. The striker had already represented France at youth level, but in March he decided to change his nationality.