Elye Wahi, 23-year-old footballer who plays for Nice, on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt, will not be allowed to enter Canada to play with his national team, Ivory Coast, because of his alleged involvement in a sport corruption case, spot-fixing, which means that he allegedly forced certain actions during the matches so that others could profit on betting, knowing beforehand what he would do (in Wahi's case, earning a yellow card during a match against Metz last May).
Wahi was arrested last month as a suspect on spot-fixing. Because of those criminal records, he has been denied entrance in Canada, where he was set to play one World Cup match against Germany. He will stay in the team's camp in the United States and will play the following match.
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In his defence, the Ivorian Football Federation issued a statement saying that, to date, they have not been notified of any judicial or administrative proceedings involving him, and extend their support to the player and reaffirm their confidence in him.
This is the second World Cup player that isn't allowed to enter Canada, after Thomas Partey, who lied in his visa document that he had never been arrested or charged of any criminal offence, when he is waiting trial for rape.
Ivory Coast debuted at World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Scotland. They will next face Germany on Saturday, June 22 (without Wahi) and Curaçao on Thursday, June 25, both at 22:00 CEST, 21:00 BST, aiming for a second place spot at the group.