MLS Bans Yeboah

9 March 2026


Big League Soccer has provided life time bans to midfielder Derrick Jones and winger Yaw Yeboah for wagering offenses.


Yeboah, 28, signed for Chinese Super League side Qingdao Hainiu last month after his agreement with Los Angeles FC was terminated in January.


Jones, 29, was released from his agreement by Columbus Crew last November.


A declaration from MLS stated that the players were found to have actually "participated in substantial gambling on soccer, including by themselves groups" during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.


MLS kept in mind that on one occasion both players placed bets on Jones getting a yellow card - which then took place - in a match for Columbus Crew against New York Red Bulls on 19 October 2024.


Jones and Yeboah were team-mates at Columbus Crew in the 2024 season.


"MLS also determined that the players likely shared personal info with other gamblers about their intent to draw yellow cards," included the statement from the league.


"No evidence was recognized that recommended any of these wagering activities affected the outcome of a match."


Yeboah, who has been capped by Ghana, was at Manchester City from 2014 to 2018 but did not make a first-team appearance and had loan spells at Lille, Twente and Oviedo.


He then bet Spanish side Numancia and Polish team Wisła Krakow before spells at Columbus Crew and LAFC.


Ghana-born Jones has invested his whole profession in the United States having played for Philadelphia Union, Nashville SC, Houston Dynamo, Charlotte FC and .


Jones was topped by the USA at under-20 and under-23 level.


Related topics


Big League Soccer


Football


More on this story


Follow your club with BBC Sport


12 March


Listen to the current Football Daily podcast


Get football news sent out directly to your phone


Published


16 August 2025