Ivory Coast's Wahi denied Canada entry amid sports corruption probe

Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi will miss his team's FIFA World Cup opener against Germany in Canada due to not having travel authorisation. The news follows his recent link to a sports corruption investigation in France.

Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi will not be able to travel to Canada for his team's FIFA World Cup opener against Germany on June 21, as his authorisation for visiting the country has not yet been obtained, said the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) on Thursday.

Link to Corruption Investigation

The announcement comes just a day after Wahi was linked to an investigation into alleged sports corruption, with French authorities saying that unusual betting patterns were detected around a yellow card that the striker received while representing Nice in the Ligue 1 last month. Wahi, while not named as a suspect, was not available for comment.

A spokesperson of the Marseille prosecutor's office told Reuters that the Ligue 1 player was taken into custody on May 29 for an investigation into suspected organised fraud, organised sports corruption, handling stolen goods and money laundering.

Federation Expresses Support

FIF has shown their full confidence in their player. "The FIF has not been officially notified of any legal or administrative proceedings concerning him," Reuters reported. FIF also said that Wahi remains an important part of the Ivory Coast national team.

Till the team returns to Philadelphia for their final group stage against Curacao, he will be staying in US, where the team's base camp is in Chester, Pennsylvania. "The player will not be able to join the delegation's trip to Canada. This is because the administrative authorisations required for him to enter Canadian territory have not yet been obtained. Elye Wahi will therefore remain in the United States until the team returns," said FIF.

Wahi has also represented France at the under-21 level and made his senior level debut for the Ivory Coast back in March.

Ivory Coast started off their tournament with a 1-0 win over Ecuador, while Curacao will be heading into the match after a 1-7 loss to four-time champions Germany. (ANI)

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