Major League Soccer (MLS) has handed lifetime bans to Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah and his former teammate Derrick Jones after an investigation revealed that the two players were involved in extensive gambling on football matches, including games involving their own teams.

The league announced the sanctions on Monday following an inquiry triggered by suspicious betting alerts flagged by its integrity partners. MLS subsequently engaged the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP to conduct an independent investigation, while both players were placed on administrative leave in October 2025 pending the outcome of the probe.

After reviewing the findings, MLS concluded that the players placed bets on football matches during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, including fixtures involving their own clubs. In one case, the pair reportedly wagered that Jones would receive a yellow card in a match played on October 19, 2024—an incident that eventually occurred during the game.

Investigators also found that the two players may have shared confidential information with other bettors regarding their intentions to receive yellow cards during certain matches.

Despite these violations, the league stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the betting activities affected the final results of any matches.

“Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “The league will continue to enforce its policies, strengthen education efforts, and advocate for the elimination of yellow-card wagering in all states in order to protect the integrity of the competition for clubs, players, and fans.”

The controversy has also cast a spotlight on the players’ time together at Columbus Crew during the 2024 season. Jones remained with the club through the 2025 campaign, while Yeboah later moved to Los Angeles FC, where he made 17 appearances before mutually terminating his contract in January. The Ghanaian international has since joined Chinese Super League side Qingdao Hainiu.

Reacting to the development, Columbus Crew said it fully supported the league’s investigation and reaffirmed its commitment to upholding integrity in the sport.

“The Columbus Crew are proud of the reputation we have built in MLS and global football, one that is grounded in respect and integrity throughout our organisation,” the club said in a statement. “We strongly condemn any actions that are inconsistent with these values or undermine the principles of fair competition that are fundamental to our club, the league, and the sport.”

The club added that it had fully cooperated with MLS during the investigation and would defer further comments on the matter to the league