Abidjan (AFP) – Forward Elye Wahi will miss Ivory Coast’s second World Cup match against Germany after he was denied a visa to enter Canada, the Ivorian federation said on Thursday. “The administrative authorisations necessary for his entry into Canadian territory have not been obtained at this stage,” the Ivorian federation (FIF) said, adding that he would not be able to “travel with the delegation to Canada” for Saturday’s match in Toronto. The FIF gave no reason for his visa refusal.
Wahi is the second World Cup player to be denied entry into Canada after Ghana’s Thomas Partey, who is facing rape charges in Britain. Several media reported on Thursday that Wahi had been questioned by French police over suspicions of spot-fixing in a Ligue 1 match while he was playing for Nice. The case revolves around a yellow card which Wahi picked up in a 0-0 draw with Metz in mid-May, after betting authorities had noticed an unusual volume of bets being placed on the 23-year-old being booked.
The French football league (LFP) announced on Wednesday that it had lodged a complaint to police for “facts which could constitute sporting fraud and organised corruption”. The public prosecutor’s office in Marseille confirmed to AFP that “a 23-year-old professional footballer, playing in the Ligue 1 championship, was arrested on May 29, 2026 in relation to an ongoing investigation”. That investigation related to “organised fraud, organised sporting corruption, receiving stolen goods and money laundering”. The public prosecutor’s said that the player had been released but that their investigations were ongoing.
The FIF pledged its support for Wahi, describing him as “an important element for the Ivory Coast national team”. Born in France, Wahi switched allegiances to the African nation in March and started in the Ivory Coast’s opening 1-0 World Cup Group E victory over Ecuador on Sunday. The Elephants’ final group stage match is against Curacao in the United States on June 25.
Partey missed Ghana’s last-gasp 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday after his country failed with an appeal against his Canadian visa rejection. Partey is facing seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault in Britain relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022. He denies the allegations.
© 2024 AFP
