For “extensive” betting, including on games involving their own clubs, Major League Soccer has banned Yaw Yeboah and Derrick Jones for life, according to a statement released Monday. The pair once wagered successfully that Jones would get a yellow card.
The MLS said it hired a law firm to look into “suspicious betting alerts” it had gotten. As the review progressed, the players were placed on administrative leave in late October 2025. The inquiry ultimately determined that both players placed several bets on soccer, including on their own clubs, throughout the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
“In one instance,” the league stated, “both players predicted Jones would draw a yellow card during a match on October 19, 2024, which he did.”
Yeboah and Jones spent one season together with the Columbus Crew in 2024. Jones stayed with the Crew for the 2025 campaign, while Yeboah joined Los Angeles FC, where he played 17 games in 2025. In January, he came to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract with LAFC, and he is now playing in China.
At the age of 28, Jones moved to the United States after being born in Ghana. He progressed through the youth ranks with the Philadelphia Union before playing for Nashville SC, Houston Dynamo, Charlotte FC, and most recently with the Columbus Crew. Jones has played 131 games in the league during his career.
From Accra, Ghana, Yeboah, 28, is a graduate of the Right to Dream academy. He joined Manchester City in 2014 and spent time on loan with several clubs before being acquired by the Crew prior to the 2022 campaign. Ultimately, he ended up with Wisła Kraków. Yeboah developed into one of the top left wingbacks in the league during his time with the Crew, and in 2023, he won MLS Cup with Columbus.
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