Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi has been arrested by French police on suspicion of match-fixing offences just weeks before the 2026 World Cup.

The 23-year-old is the subject of an active criminal investigation regarding a domestic league fixture.

Authorities are examining whether the attacker deliberately earned a yellow card while representing Nice against Metz on 17 May.

Organised fraud and corruption probe

The Marseille public prosecutor’s office confirmed the player was initially detained by authorities on 28 May.

He was held in police custody while facing severe allegations of organised sports corruption and money laundering.

“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 into allegations of organized fraud,” a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office stated.
“He was released after he was interviewed in police custody. The investigations remain ongoing.”

World Cup campaign continues amid scrutiny

Despite the serious legal situation, the young forward remains active in the current international tournament.

He recently started for the Elephants during their 1-0 group stage victory over Ecuador on Sunday night.

Global governing body Fifa and the Ivorian Football Association have yet to issue a formal comment regarding the investigation.

If the deliberate booking allegations are proven true, he could face severe disciplinary action and a lengthy worldwide ban from the sport.

Former Chicago Fire midfielder Brian Gutierrez has emerged as a key figure in Mexico’s World Cup campaign after switching his international allegiance from the United States.

The 22-year-old started for El Tri during their emotional 2-0 victory over South Africa in the tournament opener last week.

Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, the playmaker’s journey to the national team is highly unusual.

He previously represented the United States at senior level, earning two international caps in 2025.

A unique path to the national team

Rather than emerging through a traditional Liga MX academy, the Mexican-American developed his skills playing street football in Illinois.

He eventually joined local Major League Soccer franchise Chicago Fire, thriving at a young age before a major career move materialised late last year.

Massive Mexican club Chivas secured his signature, prompting a major shift in his international trajectory.

“I’ve always been a Chivas supporter. It was a no-brainer for me.”

Cultural identity and family roots

The Guadalajara-based outfit has traditionally only signed Mexican players, though they have recently relaxed their regulations to include Mexican-Americans.

Raised in a bilingual household by parents from the Jalisco region, the gifted midfielder maintains deep ties to his heritage.

He immediately informed his family upon receiving his World Cup selection for this summer’s tournament.

“Obviously my parents. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”

Chicago influences and street football

The former MLS prospect credits his diverse upbringing for shaping his competitive edge on the pitch.

He honed his craft alongside Polish and Serbian communities, blending different styles of play into his own game.

“Playing outside with my friends and family, playing street soccer and you know that little chip, little hunger, that the Latino community gives.”

As Mexico look to advance deep into the World Cup, their American-born star will be hoping to continue his impressive form on the global stage.

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been warned of soaring expectations ahead of Wimbledon following her runner-up finish at the Queen’s Club Championship.

The British star suffered a straight-sets defeat to Croatian Donna Vekic in the final of the WTA 500 event in west London.

Despite falling short in the title decider, her impressive run on grass has reignited public excitement ahead of the third Grand Slam of the year.

Rusedski highlights intense SW19 spotlight

Former British number one Greg Rusedski believes her recent exploits will dramatically intensify the pressure when she arrives at the historic tournament.

Everybody is talking about her, no matter what she does, and all of a sudden, the expectations for Wimbledon have just gone up.

Speaking on his podcast, the tennis veteran highlighted her immense commercial value to the sport and her unique connection with the home crowd.

She is a massive asset. I mean, she came out of nowhere and won ten matches in a row to win a major.

Overcoming early season struggles

The 2021 Flushing Meadows winner has endured a tumultuous start to the season, battling both a foot injury and a severe viral infection.

These setbacks forced her to miss two months of competitive action after parting ways with coach Francisco Roig in late January.

However, reaching two finals this calendar year represents a significant milestone in her ongoing recovery and return to elite fitness.

Focus shifts to Wimbledon preparation

The straight-sets loss to Vekic concluded a gruelling week, marked by a battling second-set tiebreak following a difficult opening set.

I haven’t really played much this season, but to think I have made two finals so far, which I haven’t done in years, it has to be kind of, in a way, celebrated.

The former world number 10 acknowledged that the final defeat stung, but remains fiercely proud of the aggressive, free-flowing tennis she produced.

With Wimbledon fast approaching, she will now bypass the Nottingham Open to finalise her preparations on the practice courts.

Former Olympic medallist Jenny Simpson is receiving hospital treatment following a serious medical incident where she collapsed at a running event in North Carolina on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old was acting as a pacemaker for a mile group at a Sir Walter Miler pop-up meet in Raleigh when the frightening episode occurred.

Reports indicate the American required immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the track before being transferred to a local medical facility.

Trackside emergency response

Event organisers swiftly confirmed the situation via a formal statement released on social media.

“Jenny is receiving excellent medical care, and our thoughts are with her and her family during this time.”

The Sir Walter Miler team expressed immense gratitude to those who provided rapid assistance on the ground.

“We are incredibly grateful to the individuals who responded immediately, as well as EMS and the medical professionals who handled the situation with such care, urgency, and professionalism.”

Organisers also thanked the wider athletics community for an outpouring of concern and support following the news.

“We ask that you continue to keep Jenny and her family in your prayers as we all hope for the very best.”

A decorated athletics legacy

The highly decorated middle-distance runner only recently retired from competitive athletics at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

She famously claimed 1500m gold at the 2011 World Championships, establishing herself as a dominant force on the global stage.

The renowned competitor later secured a brilliant bronze medal in the same discipline at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Further cementing her sporting legacy, the former world champion also collected silver medals over 1500m at both the 2013 and 2017 World Championships.

Ferrari must prioritise Lewis Hamilton over team-mate Charles Leclerc if they are to win the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship, according to former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

The seven-time world champion recently secured his maiden victory for the Maranello-based team at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

That crucial triumph moved the Briton to within 41 points of current championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.

Meanwhile, consecutive race retirements for Leclerc have created a 30-point deficit between the two Ferrari drivers.

An easy decision for Maranello

Villeneuve, who claimed the 1997 drivers’ crown, believes the Italian squad must now decisively throw their weight behind the 41-year-old.

The Canadian feels rival constructor Mercedes are currently unable to formally favour either Antonelli or third-placed George Russell.

“Lewis knows how to win, and he knows what it takes,” Villeneuve said.

“Ferrari has to focus on Lewis if they want a small chance of winning, so the decision is easy to make because Leclerc is quite far back.”

Catching Leclerc by surprise

The former Mercedes star endured a difficult debut campaign in red throughout 2025 as he initially struggled to match his Monegasque team-mate.

However, sweeping technical regulation changes for 2026 and strategic personnel adjustments have rejuvenated the veteran driver.

Villeneuve suggests this sudden resurgence has completely caught Leclerc off guard.

“Leclerc had time to build the team around him and he didn’t,” the former Williams driver added.

He argued that Leclerc was handed a lucrative contract too early in his career and never learned to construct a winning team environment.

“Suddenly in comes Lewis last year, who’s not having a great season. He’s really having a hard time with the car, the team, it takes time to build,” Villeneuve noted.

Leinster captain Caelan Doris has been declared fit to start Friday’s United Rugby Championship final against the Bulls at Croke Park as Tadhg Furlong returns to the starting XV.

The Ireland skipper emerged as a significant doubt after sustaining a knee injury during the semi-final victory over the Stormers.

However, the influential back-rower has recovered in time to lead a team featuring three alterations for the highly anticipated Dublin decider.

Tadhg Furlong is named at tight-head prop, marking the three-time British and Irish Lion’s first start since April.

Lowe prepares for Leinster farewell

Connacht-bound Jerry Cahir steps in for the injured Andrew Porter at loose-head prop to complete a formidable front row.

A fit-again Tommy O’Brien is restored to the right wing, joining James Lowe who starts on the opposite flank in his final appearance before departing the province.

Hugo Keenan anchors the backline at full-back, while Rieko Ioane and Jamie Osborne maintain their midfield partnership.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast are retained as the half-back pairing tasked with dictating the tempo against the South African visitors.

Quest for back-to-back titles

Hooker Dan Sheehan has recovered sufficiently to take a place on the bench after missing the previous fixture, leaving Ronan Kelleher to wear the number two jersey.

Joe McCarthy and James Ryan form an unchanged second row, with Max Deegan and Josh van der Flier joining their captain in the back row.

Leo Cullen’s side are determined to retain their URC crown following a disappointing Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux in Bilbao last month.

The Irish heavyweights will draw confidence from recent history, having comprehensively defeated the Pretoria-based outfit 32-7 in last season’s corresponding final.

Starting line-ups

Leinster:

Replacements:

Bulls:

Replacements:

Uzbekistan have become the first Central Asian nation to qualify for a Fifa World Cup after securing their spot at the 2026 tournament with a decisive draw against the United Arab Emirates.

A goalless stalemate in Tashkent on 5 June 2025 sparked jubilant celebrations across the country as the White Wolves finally ended decades of qualification heartbreak.

Long considered the “nearly men” of Asian football, the national side will now embark on a groundbreaking journey to North America this summer.

Eradicating past heartbreaks

The historic achievement wipes the slate clean following numerous agonizing near-misses since the turn of the century.

Fans have endured bitter memories, notably missing out on the 2006 tournament following a highly controversial refereeing decision during an intercontinental play-off against Bahrain.

Further agony followed in both 2014 and 2018, where the team were narrowly edged out of qualification by South Korea in the final group stages.

Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the tournament, football expert Conor Bowers emphasised that merely reaching the finals is as monumental for the nation as lifting the trophy would be for an established European powerhouse.

“Uzbekistan have historically always been the nearly men of Asian football, having missed out on previous tournaments due to poor refereeing decisions in 2006 World Cup qualifying and utter self-sabotage before the 2022 World Cup.”

Transforming the domestic landscape

Reaching the pinnacle of international football is already delivering immense tangible benefits within the Central Asian republic.

This milestone is the culmination of a long-term development strategy designed to drastically elevate overall sporting standards across the country.

“The success of qualification has already begun to create noticeable results domestically, with new football clubs being created, previously defunct clubs re-emerging and the number of professional clubs in the country increasing by 36% from the years 2025 to 2026 alone.”

A challenging Group K awaits

The debutants face a formidable challenge in their opening fixtures after being drawn into Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia and fellow first-timers DR Congo.

They will begin their inaugural campaign with a demanding fixture against the South American heavyweights.

Despite rising expectations, experts maintain that the squad has already achieved its primary objective.

“Qualification was the goal. Anything more than that will be seen as an additional bonus.”

English referee Michael Oliver will return to officiate at the World Cup this weekend after recovering from an injury that forced him to miss his opening fixture.

The Premier League official was originally scheduled to oversee the group stage match between Ecuador and the Ivory Coast on Monday morning.

However, a minor physical issue meant he was replaced by French counterpart Francois Letexier for that initial clash.

FIFA has now confirmed the experienced referee is fully fit and available for selection again.

Return against the Netherlands

He has been officially appointed to take charge of the Group F encounter between the Netherlands and Sweden on Saturday evening.

The Northumberland-born official will be joined by familiar faces on the touchline, with fellow Englishmen Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring acting as his assistants.

South African duo Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela have been designated as the fourth official and reserve assistant referee respectively.

Previous tournament experience

This current assignment adds to an impressive international portfolio for the highly regarded match official.

He previously officiated at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where his matches included a tense quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil.

Domestic fans will also be closely monitoring his fitness ahead of his eventual return to top-flight English football duties.