Elye Wahi granted visa to enter Canada, could be ready for Ivory Coast meeting with Germany

[p]The Ivorian football federation (FIF) had earlier announced [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wahi-sepe-elye/8jdHWf50/"]Wahi[/a] would miss Saturday's game in Toronto.[/p][p]The FIF gave no reason for his initial visa refusal.[/p][p]But later on Thursday, a source told AFP that Canada had delayed Wahi's visa authorisation after requesting further information regarding his legal situation, before rubber-stamping his entry.[/p][p]Several media reported that Wahi had been questioned by French prosecutors over suspicions of spot-fixing in a Ligue 1 match while he was playing for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nice/YagoQJpq/"]Nice[/a].[/p][p]The case revolves around a yellow card which Wahi picked up in a 0-0 draw with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/metz/4v0yqlWc/"]Metz[/a] on the final day of the season in mid-May, after betting authorities had noticed an unusual volume of bets being placed on the 23-year-old receiving a yellow card.[/p][p]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".[/p][p]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".[/p][embed guid="94d97b6c-560b-468f-945e-92f01c5ad289" url="https://x.com/lequipe/status/2067570265974812832" social-type="twitter" /][p]That investigation related to "organised fraud, organised sporting corruption, receiving stolen goods and money laundering".[/p][p]The public prosecutor said that the player had been released but that their investigations were ongoing.[/p][p]The FIF pledged its support for Wahi, describing him as "an important element for the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a] national team".[/p][p]Wahi's lawyer, Marie Dose, said earlier the player had been questioned "for a few hours" last month but was subsequently released.[/p][p]"[b]Elye Wahi is therefore not facing charges at this stage and is not subject to any judicial restrictions[/b]," she added.[/p][p]Born in France, Wahi switched allegiance to Ivory Coast in March and started in their opening 1-0 World Cup Group E victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ecuador/8tbm8Tri/"]Ecuador[/a] on Sunday.[/p][p]He spent the second half of last season on loan at Nice from German club [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/eintracht-frankfurt/8vndvXTk/"]Eintracht Frankfurt[/a].[/p][p]The Elephants' final group-stage match is against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/curacao/bLLGpOkQ/"]Curacao[/a] in the United States on June 25.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a] midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thomas/pMErKGnf/"]Thomas Partey[/a] missed their last-gasp 1-0 win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/panama/OWKqbCfi/"]Panama[/a] in Toronto on Wednesday after his country failed with an appeal against his Canadian visa rejection.[/p][p]Partey is facing seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault in Britain.[/p][p]He denies the allegations.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/germany-ptQide1O/ivory-coast-G2FRjBgn/?mid=SMzorJsm"]Follow Ivory Coast's clash with Germany here.[/a][/b][/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]