Major League Soccer has handed Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah a lifetime ban after finding that he gambled on football matches, including games involving his own team. MLS imposed the same punishment on fellow player Derrick Jones, concluding that both men violated the league’s strict betting rules during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The league said its investigation uncovered “extensive gambling on soccer, including on their own teams.” That finding triggered the harshest sanction available under MLS regulations.
Investigators found that Yeboah and Jones placed bets on Jones receiving a yellow card during a Columbus Crew match against the New York Red Bulls on 19 October 2024. Jones did receive a caution in that match.
MLS also determined that the two players likely shared confidential information with other bettors about their intention to draw yellow cards.
The league said it found no evidence that the bets altered the outcome of any match. However, it stressed that betting on your own team, especially on specific in-game events, undermines the integrity of the competition.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber made the league’s position clear. “Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity,” he said. “We will continue to enforce our policies and strengthen education efforts to protect the competition for clubs, players and fans.”
Yeboah had already left MLS before the ruling. He ended his contract with Los Angeles FC in January and joined Chinese Super League side Qingdao Hainiu last month. The lifetime ban now bars him from returning to MLS in any playing capacity.
Jones, 29, left the Columbus Crew in November last year. Born in Ghana but raised in the United States, he represented the USA at the under-20 and under-23 levels. He previously played for Philadelphia Union, Nashville SC, Houston Dynamo and Charlotte FC.
Yeboah and Jones played together at the Columbus Crew during the 2024 season, when much of the gambling activity occurred.
Columbus Crew said it cooperated fully with the league’s investigation and reaffirmed its commitment to MLS gambling policies. MLS has taken a strong stance against gambling violations in recent years. In 2021, the league suspended Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernandez for betting offences. It later terminated his contract in 2024 after further breaches.
The Yeboah and Jones case sends a clear message. Even if betting does not influence a match result, wagering on your own team crosses a red line.
For Yeboah, the decision marks a dramatic fall. The former Ghana international once signed for Manchester City, although he never made a senior appearance. He later had loan spells at Lille, FC Twente and Real Oviedo before moving through Spain, Poland and the United States.
Now, at 28, he faces the reality that his MLS career has ended permanently. For the league, the priority remains clear. Protecting the credibility of the competition comes first.
