Ivory Coast’s Elye Wahi faces probe over alleged fixing before FIFA W…

Toronto [Canada], June 18 (ANI); Ivory Coast player Elye Wahi, who is currently featuring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, was arrested on suspicion of fixing-related offences less than two weeks before the tournament, according to The Athletic.

According to the report, the 23-year-old is under active investigation to determine whether, while playing for French club OGC Nice, he deliberately picked up a yellow card in a Ligue 1 match against FC Metz on May 17.

The report added that Wahi was arrested by French police on May 29, shortly after scoring twice in a match against AS Saint-Étienne, a performance that helped Nice secure their Ligue 1 status. sport-newz.biz

He has subsequently travelled to the United States for the World Cup and started in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador on Sunday in Philadelphia, hitting the bar in the second half. Ivory Coast’s next game is against Germany in Toronto on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor’s office told The Athletic on Tuesday, “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. 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 taking part in the World Cup."

According to sources cited in the report, the investigation was triggered after the Ligue de Football Professionnel received alerts over suspicious betting patterns linked to Wahi receiving a booking in the Nice vs Metz match.

The alleged incident involved Wahi being shown a yellow card in the 35th minute for a late challenge on Metz defender Sadibou Sane.

He was suspended for a playoff match against Saint-Étienne due to the accumulation of yellow cards.

Wahi later returned to action, scoring twice and winning man of the match in the second leg, before being arrested by anti-corruption police. He has not been charged so far, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The forward, who switched international allegiance from the French youth teams to the Ivory Coast national football team earlier this year, has already featured at the World Cup, starting in their 1-0 win over Ecuador in Philadelphia.

He played 55 minutes in that match, hitting the crossbar before being substituted, with Ivory Coast set to face Germany in their next Group E fixture in Toronto.

Wahi’s career has included spells at Montpellier, Lens, Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt, and a loan move to Nice, where he scored five goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances. (ANI)

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Texas [US], June 18 (ANI): England captain Harry Kane said his side made a strong start to their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign after a commanding 4-2 win over Croatia in their Group L opener at the Dallas Stadium on Wednesday (local time).

Taking to X, Kane credited the team’s second-half performance and praised the collective effort behind the victory.

“Off to a winning start. Second half set the standard for us, credit to all the boys for a huge shift. Thank you for your support," Kane wrote.

Kane scored twice, Jude Bellingham produced a standout second-half strike, while substitute Marcus Rashford added a late goal to complete the victory as Thomas Tuchel’s side overcame a determined Croatian challenge.

England were handed an early opportunity when Noni Madueke was fouled by Luka Modric inside the box, winning a penalty in the 11th minute.

Dominik Livakovic initially saved Kane’s effort, but VAR ruled that the goalkeeper had stepped off his line early, forcing a retake. Kane converted the second attempt to give England the lead.

Croatia responded well and levelled the score in the 36th minute through Martin Baturina. Luka Sucic’s incisive run ended with a cut-back to Baturina, who fired a powerful shot past Jordan Pickford during a strong phase of Croatian pressure.

The England skipper Kane delivered a commanding display, scoring a brace against Croatia, with one goal coming from the penalty spot in the 12th minute and another in the 42nd minute, helping England secure a strong start to their campaign.

Kane became only the second England player to score in three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026), joining legend David Beckham (1998, 2002, 2006).

The Bayern Munich striker also equalled another major milestone, reaching 10 FIFA World Cup goals — the joint-most by an England player alongside Gary Lineker.

In addition, Kane set a new global benchmark by scoring the most non-penalty shootout penalties in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to five.

During the clash, Ivan Perisic also became the second player to register an assist at four different FIFA World Cup tournaments. The Croatian player joined Argentine legend Lionel Messi as the only players in history to achieve the feat. (ANI)

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Dallas [US], June 18 (ANI): England coach Thomas Tuchel praised England’s strong second-half display after a difficult first half as the Three Lions registered a 4-2 win against Croatia in their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign opener at the Dallas Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday (local time).

Tuchel said he loved the team’s reaction to a “very complicated first half" against Croatia, as per a Reuters report.

While captain Harry Kane scored twice, Croatia equalised on both occasions through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa before halftime. England then took control after the break, with Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford finding the net to secure the victory.

After the match, Tuchel praised England’s second-half performance, saying he was pleased with the team’s response after a challenging first half against Croatia. Notably, while England is ranked fourth in the World FIFA rankings, Croatia is placed 14th.

“I love the second half, all of it. I love the reaction to a very complicated first half against top opponents," he said as quoted by Reuters.

Tuchel said England appeared nervous at times and overcomplicated their play, taking too long to make decisions and often choosing the wrong option on the ball.

“I think we showed a bit of nerves, maybe we wanted to overdo it, but we clearly overthought our decisions, it took us too long to take decisions. When we could play short we played long, and when we could play long we played short," he said.

Tuchel admitted England dropped too deep and became overly cautious after taking the lead, which allowed Croatia back into the game. However, he was delighted with his side’s strong response and improved performance after halftime.

“We spent way too much time in a low block, which is also not our identity, and not what we wanted to have. The leads, both leads, didn’t make us more free. I had the impression we had to protect something now, we were punished for it, which is psychologically not easy. But I love the reaction after halftime," Tuchel added.

Tuchel said there is still room for improvement, but stressed that it is normal early in a tournament.

“There’s still things to improve. I think this is also quite normal. After a first match, you need to grow into a tournament. We got a tough draw in the tournament, so the positives are clearly the ones we will focus on now and enjoy the moment, and we have enough days to adjust," he said.

Coming to the match, Kane scored twice and Bellingham produced a standout second-half strike, while substitute Rashford added a late goal to complete the victory.

England were handed an early opportunity when Noni Madueke was fouled by Luka Modric inside the box, winning a penalty in the 11th minute.

Dominik Livakovic initially saved Kane’s effort, but VAR ruled that the goalkeeper had stepped off his line early, forcing a retake. Kane converted the second attempt to give England the lead.

Croatia responded well and levelled the score in the 36th minute through Martin Baturina. Luka Sucic’s incisive run ended with a cut-back to Baturina, who fired a powerful shot past Jordan Pickford during a strong phase of Croatian pressure.

The England skipper Kane delivered a commanding display, scoring a brace against Croatia, with one goal coming from the penalty spot in the 12th minute and another in the 42nd minute, helping England secure a strong start to their campaign.

Kane became only the second England player to score in three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026), joining legend David Beckham (1998, 2002, 2006).

The Bayern Munich striker also equalled another major milestone, reaching 10 FIFA World Cup goals — the joint-most by an England player alongside Gary Lineker.

In addition, Kane set a new global benchmark by scoring the most non-penalty shootout penalties in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to five.

During the clash, Ivan Perisic also became the second player to register an assist at four different FIFA World Cup tournaments. The Croatian player joined Argentine legend Lionel Messi as the only players in history to achieve this feat. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Ten days ago, Ben Stokes was wondering whether his England career had reached its lowest point. There were literally retirement talks. Today, there is a realistic possibility that he could be back in contention for the third Test against New Zealand.

The fallout from the nightclub incident involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson is still ongoing, but new details from The Telegraph suggest the mood inside the ECB has changed. While both players remain under investigation for breaching England’s midnight curfew, senior officials are increasingly convinced that neither man was responsible for the altercation that left an ECB security officer requiring stitches.

Stokes and Atkinson set for crucial interviews

The next 48 hours will give us more updates. Stokes and Atkinson are expected to be interviewed by the Cricket Regulator before turning out for Durham and Surrey, respectively, in county cricket this week. After getting dropped from the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, both Stokes and Atkinson decided to turn up in domestic circuit and are likely to play in the FC match that starts on June 19.

Those interviews will be part of the investigation after the events that unfolded at Chelsea nightclub Rex Rooms after England’s victory over New Zealand at Lord’s. While the pair have already paid the price by missing the second Test at The Oval, any sort of punishment is yet to be finalised.

As a matter of fact, the Cricket Regulator’s findings will also be shared with England’s team management, meaning both investigations are effectively moving together. If everything is resolved quickly, neither player can be ruled out of contention for the third Test at Trent Bridge.

What actually happened that night?

Initial reports focused on Stokes and Atkinson breaking England’s strict midnight curfew, a rule introduced after a series of off-field incidents during the Ashes tour. But evidence gathered since then suggests the two cricketers were not the aggressors during the confrontation.

The altercation is understood to have started after a disagreement involving Atkinson and a Saracens academy rugby player. During the scuffle, a punch intended for Atkinson allegedly struck ECB security officer James Shaw instead, leaving him needing stitches.

Nobody inside the ECB is defending the curfew breach, particularly given that Stokes himself supported the rule when it was introduced. But there is a feeling that punishing England’s captain as if he started the incident would be unfair.

For now, Stokes’ captaincy remains under review. Joe Root, meanwhile, is leading England at the Oval Test against New Zealand. Meanwhile, the likes of Matthew Fischer, Sonny Baker and Josh Tongue are playing as pacers in the absence of Atkinson and Ollie Robinson, who has been ruled out due to an injury.

The post Ben Stokes to be questioned; path opens for England return after curfew breach appeared first on Inside Sport India.

The Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series aka BMPS 2026 Grand Finals coming up soon. After several weeks of fierce competition, India’s best teams will compete to become champions, winning a prize worth ₹4 crore and etching their names into the history books of esports in India. In preparation for the highly awaited LAN competition, we almost have full teams that will compete in Jaipur. Check out the full details on BMPS 2026 GRAND FINALS below.

BMPS 2026 Grand Finals – Teams

A total number of 16 top-quality teams will participate in the Grand Finals of BMPS in 2026. Out of these 16 teams, 14 teams will have made their places reserved whereas 2 more teams will enter through the process of Survival and Last Chance games. The upcoming games are expected to be highly competitive as all teams want to occupy the remaining places in Jaipur.

• Nebula Esports
• Myth Official
• iQOO Revenant XSpark
• iQOO Reckoning Esports
• Genesis Esports
• Gods Reign
• GodLike Esports
• iQOO 8Bit
• iQOO SouL
• Vasista Esports
• Divine Gaming
• iQOO Orangutan
• Victores Sumus
• Gods Esports
• Team Apex Gaming
• iQOO Team Tamilas

Read More about BGMI

• BMPS 2026 GRAND FINALS: Dates, Maps, and Stream Details
• BMPS 2026 Grand Finals – Qualified Teams, Schedule, Venue, Tickets and More
• BGMI 4.5 Update Leaks Reveal Upcoming Themed Mode, Features, and More
• BGMI Naye Khiladi: Registrations, Format, Schedule, and Prize pool Distribution

BGMI Pro Series 2026 – Dates And Time

• Dates: June 19–21, 2026
• Match Start Time: 3:15 PM IST daily
• Gate Opening Time: 2:00 PM IST
• Venue: Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC), Hall 1, Sitapura, Jaipur

With the tournament entering its final stage, every match will play a crucial role in determining India’s next BGMI champion.

BMPS 2026 GRAND FINALS MAP ROTATIONS

BMPS 2026 Grand Finals Ticket Price

In an effort to make sure that the pricing of tickets remains affordable for fans seeking to witness the event live, KRAFTON has made sure that even the Grand Final tickets remain within easy reach of everyone, starting at just ₹249.

The post BMPS 2026 GRAND FINALS: Dates, Maps, and Stream Details appeared first on Inside Sport India.