Elye Wahi, the Ivory Coast forward, was reportedly arrested over spot-fixing claims two weeks before flying out to the World Cup.
The 23-year-old, who has attracted Premier League interest while playing in France, is facing an active investigation over a yellow card he earned playing for Nice.
The booking in question took place against Metz on May 17 after a late tackle on Sadibou Sané. Wahi had committed a foul two minutes earlier. Suspicions appear to have been raised after a flurry of bets were placed, The Athletic reported.
The Marseille public prosecutor’s office said in a statement: “We can confirm that a 23-year-old football player, competing in France’s Ligue 1, was arrested on May 29 as part of an investigation opened by the Marseille public prosecutor’s office into allegations of organised fraud, organised sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering.
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“He was released after he was interviewed in police custody. The investigations remain ongoing. The football player is not a member of the French selection [national team] taking part in the World Cup.”
The arrest on May 29 came hours after Wahi scored two goals in a win over Saint-Étienne that kept Nice in Ligue 1.
After being questioned, Wahi received permission to travel to the United States. He played in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador on Sunday in Philadelphia. Their next game is against Germany in Toronto on Saturday.
The investigation follows notifications of suspicious betting patterns in Nice’s Ligue 1 fixture, including those on Wahi to receive a yellow card.
Marseille authorities did not confirm the player’s identity when contacted by Telegraph Sport. The suspect was identified as Wahi in an earlier report by The Athletic.
