Major League Soccer issued lifetime suspensions on Monday to players Yaw Yeboah and Derrick Jones for violations of the league’s gambling policy.
Following a months long investigation by the law firm Patterson Bellnap Webb & Tyler LLP, which was retained by MLS after the league received suspicious betting alerts through its integrity partners, MLS concluded that Yeboah and Jones “engaged in extensive gambling on soccer, including on their own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.”
No evidence was identified that suggested these betting activities affected the outcome of a match, MLS said.
The league determined that Yeboah and Jones likely shared confidential information with other bettors about their intent to draw yellow cards.
“Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “The League will continue to enforce its policies, enhance education efforts, and advocate for the elimination of yellow card wagering in all states to protect the integrity of our competition for clubs, players, and fans.”
As teammates with the Columbus Crew prior to Yeboah joining the Los Angeles Football Club in 2025, the players bet on Jones to draw a yellow card, which he received, during a Crew match late in the 2024 season.
Nearly a year after that incident, MLS placed Yeboah and Jones on administrative leave and barred them from practicing or competing for their respective teams until the review was complete.
Yeboah, a 28-year-old Ghanaian midfielder, came to LAFC on a two-year deal with a club option for one more. He received $550,000 in guaranteed compensation with LAFC, scoring a goal to go with an assist in 17 MLS appearances. Yeboah also had three short stints in FIFA Club World Cup contests plus a pair of starts in Leagues Cup.
Yeboah played MLS four seasons beginning in 2022 with Columbus, posting five goals and nine assists in that time. He became an MLS Cup champion in 2023 when the Crew defeated LAFC 2-1, and won Leagues Cup in 2024.
LAFC and Yeboah mutually agreed to part ways in mid-January.
“Los Angeles Football Club fully supports Major League Soccer’s decision regarding former LAFC player Yaw Yeboah,” the team said in a statement. “The club was in full cooperation with the league’s investigation and remains committed to upholding the integrity of the game and the standards of Major League Soccer.”
On Feb. 28, Yeboah moved to Chinese Super League club Qingdao Hainiu, starting and scoring for them last weekend.
Jones entered MLS in 2017, spending three years in Philadelphia prior to stints in Nashville, Charlotte and Columbus, which he joined in 2024. Jones, 29, also Ghanaian, remains unsigned after the Crew declined his contract option at the end of the 2025 season.
Source: pressenterprise.com
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