Major League Soccer (MLS) has issued lifetime bans to Yaw Yeboah and Derrick Jones after an investigation found the players engaged in extensive gambling activities related to football.
The two players, who were teammates at Columbus Crew in 2024, had been placed on administrative leave in October while the league examined suspicious betting patterns. According to MLS, both players bet on football matches during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, including games involving their own team.
In one incident during a match on October 19, 2024, both players reportedly bet that Jones would receive a yellow card — which he did. The league also said the players may have shared confidential information with other bettors about their plans to draw yellow cards.
MLS stated there was no evidence that their actions affected the final result of any match. However, commissioner Don Garber said the league remains committed to protecting the integrity of the sport.
Yeboah, a Ghana international who previously played for Manchester City and later joined Qingdao Hainiu in China earlier this year, earned four caps for Ghana national football team.
Jones, born in Ghana but representing the United States men’s national under-23 soccer team at youth level, previously played for clubs including Philadelphia Union, Nashville SC, Houston Dynamo FC and Charlotte FC.
Source: TRT Sports
