Ivory Coast World Cup forward Elye Wahi is linked to a French sports corruption investigation after unusual betting patterns were detected around a yellow card in Ligue 1.
The French Professional Football League said betting monitoring partners flagged a high volume of international wagers on Wahi receiving a yellow card. This happened during Nice’s final-day match against Metz on May 17.
Wahi has not been named as a suspect; he was not immediately available for comment.
A Marseille prosecutor’s office spokesperson told Reuters that a 23-year-old Ligue 1 player was taken into custody on May 29. The investigation covers suspected organised fraud, organised sports corruption, handling stolen goods and money laundering.
The LFP said it had alerted authorities after the betting alerts. It said it had not opened disciplinary proceedings and would make no further comment.
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The Athletic reported Wednesday that Wahi had been arrested by French police on May 29. The report came little more than two weeks before the Ivory Coast opened its World Cup campaign. Ivory Coast opened with a 1-0 win over Ecuador in Philadelphia.
Reuters said it could not immediately reach the Ivory Coast team or Wahi’s agent for comment.
Sports betting has been legal online in France since 2010. Meanwhile, the United States has seen rapid growth in legal sports betting since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling allowed states to authorise it.
