Ivory Coast's Elye Wahi denied entry to Canada amid spot-fixing probe
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Summary
Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi has been denied authorisation to travel to Canada for his side's crucial upcoming World Cup Group E encounter against Germany on Saturday. The bombshell development, confirmed by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) on Thursday, comes less than 24 hours after revelations emerged that the forward is under active police investigation in France for alleged spot-fixing. The Les Elephants squad is due to face Germany at the BMO Field in Toronto, but Wahi will remain behind at the team's tournament headquarters in Philadelphia. The FIF stated that the 23-year-old OGC Nice forward was left out of the travelling contingent because "the necessary administrative authorisations for his entry into Canadian territory could not be obtained at this stage". The legal storm surrounding Wahi erupted following a report by The Athletic, which revealed that the striker had been arrested by French anti-corruption police on May 29. The Marseille public prosecutor's office has since confirmed that an investigation remains open into offences of "organised fraud, organised sports corruption, receiving stolen goods, and money laundering". The core of the investigation centres on a domestic French Ligue 1 fixture between Nice and FC Metz on 17 May. The timing of the travel ban dealt a severe blow to Ivory Coast's World Cup campaign. Elye Wahi remains an important element of the Ivory Coast national team." Wahi is the second high-profile player to be barred from crossing the border into Canada during this World Cup cycle. Earlier this week, Ghana's Thomas Partey was similarly refused entry by Canadian immigration authorities ahead of his country's fixture in Toronto.
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Ivory Coasts Elye Wahi denied entry to Canada amid spotfixing probe
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