The Ivorian international Elye Wahi, currently at the World Cup, is suspected of deliberately earning a yellow card during a Ligue 1 match. Unusual betting patterns preceded the booking.

The French Professional Football League (LFP) announced on Wednesday that it filed a complaint against persons unknown on May 29 over suspicions of fixed bets surrounding a caution received by OGC Nice striker Elye Wahi against Metz on the final day of Ligue 1.

The Marseille public prosecutor’s office stated that a 23-year-old professional footballer playing in Ligue 1 was taken into custody on May 29, 2026, as part of an investigation into organised fraud and sports corruption, as well as related concealment and money laundering. He was released after questioning, and the probe continues.

Complaint against persons unknown

“The day after the OGC Nice-FC Metz match on May 17 (34th round of Ligue 1), the LFP was alerted by its specialised partners monitoring sports betting markets to unusual movements observed internationally. These alerts flagged an abnormal volume of wagers concerning a booking involving player Elye Wahi,” the LFP said in a statement.

After sharing this information with the national police, the National Gambling Authority and the French Football Federation, the LFP lodged a complaint on May 29 against persons unknown for acts that could constitute organised sports corruption and fraud.

A stamp after a tackle from behind

During that fixture, the 23-year-old forward, who is now playing in the World Cup for Côte d’Ivoire, received a yellow card in the 36th minute for stamping on Metz defender Salidou Sané. Wahi could have been booked earlier in the 32nd minute for a tackle from behind on Bouna Sarr.

That caution meant Wahi was suspended for the Ligue 1/Ligue 2 playoff first leg between Nice and Saint-Étienne, which the Eagles won to secure top-flight survival.

“The LFP stresses that it remains fully committed to safeguarding the integrity of its competitions and will act with the utmost severity against any behaviour that could compromise it,” the statement concluded.