Big blow for the Elephants: one of their key forwards won’t make it to Toronto this weekend, and it’s got nothing to do with injury.

So, here’s what’s going on, as first reported by cbinews.tv.

Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi won’t be playing in Canada when the Elephants face Germany on Saturday. The 23-year-old Nice striker has been denied entry into the country, and it’s all linked to some pretty serious allegations back in France.

Last month, Wahi was reportedly arrested before the World Cup kicked off. The accusation? Spot-fixing in Ligue 1. Basically, prosecutors think he deliberately picked up a yellow card while playing for Nice against Metz back in May. That booking was his fifth of the season, which meant an automatic suspension — and allegedly, there was an “unusually high volume of bets” placed on him getting booked, according to France’s Ligue de Football (LFP).

For those not familiar, spot-fixing is when players influence specific moments in a match — like getting a card or conceding a corner — so people can cash in on betting markets.

The Marseille public prosecutor’s office told The Athletic that a 23-year-old Ligue 1 player was arrested as part of an investigation into “organised fraud, organised sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering.” They didn’t name Wahi, but the details line up. He was released after questioning, and the investigation is still ongoing.

The Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) put out a statement on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. They say they haven’t been officially notified of any legal proceedings against Wahi but confirmed he couldn’t get the admin clearance to enter Canada. For now, he’ll stay in the US while the rest of the squad heads to Toronto for Germany, then on to Philadelphia to play Curacao next Thursday.

FIF added: “In this particularly delicate period, the FIF extends all its support to the player and reaffirms its confidence in him. Elye Wahi remains an important element of the Ivory Coast national team.”

Just to add some context — that yellow card against Metz did see Wahi suspended for the first leg of Nice’s relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne. He missed the 0-0 draw, came back for the second leg, and bagged two goals in a 4-1 win that kept Nice in Ligue 1.

The LFP said they won’t open disciplinary proceedings yet because of the ongoing investigation, but they’re not ruling it out. “The LFP remains fully committed to ensuring the integrity of its competitions,” they said.

Wahi isn’t the only World Cup player stuck at the border, either. *cbinews.tv* notes Ghana’s Thomas Partey was also refused entry to Canada due to ongoing criminal proceedings in the UK.

BBC Sport says it’s reached out to Wahi’s reps and FIFA for comment.

Attribution: cbinews.tv

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