New York, Mar 10: Major League Soccer has imposed lifetime bans on players Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah after an investigation found they were involved in extensive gambling activities, including bets on matches involving their own teams.
In a statement, the league said both players were placed on administrative leave in October 2025 after suspicious betting alerts were received. An external law firm was then engaged to conduct an investigation into the matter.
The probe found that Jones and Yeboah had placed bets on matches during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.According to the league, in one instance both players bet that Jones would receive a yellow card during an October 19, 2024 match, which eventually occurred.
The investigation also determined that the players likely shared confidential information about their intentions with other bettors.However, the league said there was no evidence suggesting that the betting activities affected the outcome of any match.
During the 2024 season, both players were part of Columbus Crew. Yeboah later joined Los Angeles FC before parting ways with the club in January and moving to play professionally in China.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the league remains committed to maintaining the integrity of the competition.
“Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity. The league will continue to enforce its policies, enhance education efforts and advocate for the elimination of yellow card wagering to protect the integrity of the game,” Garber said.
The disciplinary action comes amid broader debate over sports-related wagering, particularly after MLS last month announced a partnership with Polymarket, which operates prediction markets where users can trade on outcomes of various events, including sports.
Prediction markets have drawn criticism from some observers who argue they could encourage more betting activity, though companies operating such platforms maintain they do not provide traditional gambling services.
