Ivory Coast footballer Elye Wahi has been barred from entering Canada for their World Cup group game with Germany on Saturday, the Ivorian federation has said.
"The administrative authorizations required for his entry into Canada could not, at this time, be obtained," the federation said on X on Thursday. "Elye Wahi will therefore remain in the United States and wait for the team's return."
He was arrested and quizzed in France last month over alleged spot-fixing.
The Marseille public prosecutor's office told dpa that a 23-year-old footballer who plays in France's top league was arrested on May 29 on suspicion of match manipulation and other offences.
The Athletic news portal said the case concerns a French top-flight match on May 17 involving Wahi, who was loaned from Eintracht Frankfurt to Nice in January. Wahi is accused of deliberately receiving a yellow card in the match against Metz, the report said.
The French football league said it had been notified of atypical activity in international sports betting linked to the match. An unusually large amount was said to have been placed on Wahi being booked.
The league alerted the French authorities. The Ivorian association has been asked for comment.
Wahi was able to travel to US with his national team for the World Cup and was in the starting line-up in the 1-0 win against Ecuador on Sunday.
Frankfurt signed Wahi in January 2025 from Marseille and gave him a five-year contract until 2030. But he was unable to establish himself in his first year and returned to France.
