Sporting target arrested over illegal betting, but heading to World Cup | OneFootball

Ivory Coast international Elye Wahi - recently linked with Sporting - has finally been granted permission to enter Canada, where he will play the second match of the 2026 World Cup against Germany this Saturday, after his entry was initially denied.

Wahi, who started in the win against Ecuador (1-0) in Philadelphia, is under investigation after the French league detected an “unusual volume of bets” placed internationally on the striker receiving a yellow card in the match between Nice and Metz in May.

The practice, known as spot-fixing, involves manipulating specific incidents in a match to make profits on betting sites. The Marseille prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest of a 23-year-old Ligue 1 footballer, without, however, naming Wahi. The investigation covers allegations of “organized fraud, organized sports corruption, handling of criminal proceeds and money laundering”. The player was released after questioning, but the investigation is ongoing.

The Ivory Coast Football Federation (FIF) confirmed this Thursday that the issue had been resolved. According to AFP, Canadian authorities delayed the visa clearance for Elye Wahi to request more information about his legal situation, before ultimately approving his entry.

“The necessary authorizations for his entry into Canadian territory have now been obtained. Consequently, the Ivory Coast international is authorized to travel with the Elephants delegation to Canada and .”, the FIF said in a statement.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.