Ligue 1 governing body receives alert over unusual betting on Wahi yellow card incident, refers case to authorities

Official news: The French Professional Football League (LFP) has issued a statement regarding unusual betting activity detected following the match between Nice and Metz.

LFP Statement

One day after Ligue 1 Round 34 match between Nice and Metz on May 17, the LFP received an alert from its sports betting market monitoring partner regarding unusual betting patterns detected internationally. These alerts concerned an abnormal volume of bets linked to player Wahi receiving a yellow card.

In accordance with its responsibility and long-standing commitment to maintaining the integrity of its competitions, the LFP immediately transferred all relevant documents to the competent authorities, including the French National Central Police Office for Horse Racing and Gambling, the French National Gambling Authority, and the French Football Federation.

To verify all facts, the LFP filed a criminal complaint against unknown individuals on May 29, 2026, as the facts may be related to sports corruption and organized fraud.

At this stage, due to ongoing proceedings and a request from police for confidentiality, the LFP will not comment further and has not yet initiated disciplinary procedures. However, the LFP reserves the right to take appropriate action based on the investigation's progress.

The LFP reaffirms its complete commitment to maintaining the integrity of its competitions and will address any actions that could compromise competition integrity with the utmost determination. (End of statement)

According to The Athletic, Ivorian striker Wahi was arrested on suspicion of involvement in match-fixing ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Multiple sources confirm that the 23-year-old player Wahi is under investigation to determine whether he intentionally received a yellow card during the May 17 match against Metz while playing for Nice.

Subsequently, Wahi was arrested by French police on May 29. At that time, he had just scored two goals in Nice's victory over Saint-Étienne, helping the club avoid relegation.