On May 29, Elye Wahi was in police custody in France, being questioned over allegations of organised fraud and sports corruption. Three weeks later, he was on a pitch in North America, wearing the colours of Ivory Coast at the FIFA World Cup.
The 23-year-old Nice striker was arrested by French police as part of an investigation into alleged spot-fixing offences linked to a Ligue 1 match against Metz on May 17. Authorities are examining suspicious betting patterns connected to wagers placed on Wahi receiving a yellow card during that match, otherwise known as spot-fixing, where a specific event within a game is manipulated for betting purposes.
The Marseille public prosecutor’s office, on Tuesday, confirmed he was released after being interviewed in police custody, and that investigations remain ongoing. No prosecution has been brought. Under French law, as under most legal systems, he is innocent until proven otherwise.
But innocence before the law and selection for a World Cup squad are two different conversations, and Ivory Coast’s football federation appears to have treated them as the same one.
Despite the ongoing investigation, Wahi was named in Ivory Coast’s final World Cup squad and played 55 minutes in the Elephants’ 1-0 win over Ecuador on Monday. The federation has made no public statement explaining how it weighed the allegations against the selection decision.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel confirmed it is investigating the matter but said it will not comment further due to ongoing proceedings and has not initiated any disciplinary action, reserving the right to do so depending on how the investigation develops.
FIFA has also said nothing publicly.
That silence from the national federation, the domestic league, and world football’s governing body while a criminal case plays out at the World Cup is a governance issue that needs a clear answer.
Wahi has not been charged. He may never be. The investigation may ultimately find nothing.
But someone decided that was not worth waiting to find out before sending him to the biggest football tournament on earth.
