Elye Wahi: FIF Sends Message to Ivorian Striker After Canada Denied Him Entry Visa
- The Federation of Ivorian Football (FIF) has sent a message to striker Elye Wahi after he was denied a Canadian visa
- Wahi, on loan at OGC Nice from Eintracht Frankfurt, was arrested by the French Police on allegations of spot-fixing
- Wahi became the second African player to be denied entry into Canada after Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey
The Federation of Ivorian Football (FIF) has confirmed that striker Elye Wahi will not travel to Canada with the team for their second group game against Germany.
Wahi was named in Emerse Fae’s Ivory Coast squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup even before his nationality switch from France was approved.
Source: Getty Images
He made his World Cup debut during the 1-0 win over Ecuador on June 15 in Philadelphia, USA, playing 56 minutes before Ange-Yoan Bonny replaced him.
Ivory Coast’s next group game is against Germany at the BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. Die Mannschaft defeated Curacao 7-1 in their opening match.
According to The Athletic, Wahi will not feature in this match after being denied a Canadian visa and will thus remain at the team’s camp in the United States.
The striker was arrested and questioned by the French police on May 29 on suspicion of spot fixing after he received a yellow card against FC Metz on May 17.
He is currently under investigation to establish whether his 35th-minute yellow card during the 0-0 draw was deliberate, though he has yet to be charged.
After the publication, LFP published a statement confirming the incident, but refrained from further comments until all investigations are completed.
“Following the OGC Nice - FC Metz match on May 17th, part of the 34th round of Ligue 1, the LFP (French Professional Football League) was alerted by its partners specialising in monitoring sports betting markets to unusual activity observed internationally,” the statement reads.
“These alerts concerned an unusually high volume of bets placed on a warning involving the player Elye Wahi.”
FIF sends message to Wahi
The Federation of Ivorian Football (FIF) has confirmed that the striker will not be part of the travelling squad for the match against Germany in Toronto.
Though the federation takes note of the publications, it confirms it has not been officially notified of any judicial or administrative procedures against the player.
FIF expressed its full support for the striker, as he is expected to return to action against Curacao in their final group game back in Philadelphia.
Source: Getty Images
“In this particularly difficult time, FIF gives its full support to the player. Elye Wahi remains an important part of the national team of Ivory Coast,” the statement reads.
Wahi became the second African player to be denied entry into Canada after Ghana’s Thomas Partey was rejected for the match against Panama.
Carlos Queiroz issued update on Partey
Legit.ng previously reported that Carlos Queiroz issued an update on Thomas Partey after he was denied a Canadian visa for the match against Panama.
The Ghanaian government officially appealed, but it was rejected. Manager Queiroz refused to comment on the incident during his pre-match conference.
Source: Legit.ng
