MLS hands life bans to Yeboah & Jones for betting offences

Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah have been banned for life from playing in MLS Major League Soccer has given lifetime bans to midfielder Derrick Jones and winger Yaw Yeboah for betting offences. Yeboah, 28, signed for Chinese Super League side Qingdao Hainiu last month after his contract with Los Angeles FC was terminated in January. Jones, 29, was released from his contract by Columbus Crew last November. A statement from MLS said that the players were found to have "engaged in extensive gambling on soccer, including on their own teams" during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. MLS noted that on one occasion both players placed bets on Jones receiving a yellow card - which then happened - 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 confidential information with other bettors about their intent to draw yellow cards," added the statement from the league. "No evidence was identified that suggested any of these betting 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 played for Spanish side Numancia and Polish team Wisła Krakow before spells at Columbus Crew and LAFC. Ghana-born Jones has spent his entire career in the United States having played for Philadelphia Union, Nashville SC, Houston Dynamo, Charlotte FC and Columbus Crew. Jones was capped by the USA at under-20 and under-23 level. Follow your club with BBC Sport Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone Is there a right time for a Panenka - as Brentford pay the price? West Ham beat Brentford on penalties to reach FA Cup quarter-finals Kelce to play on while Chiefs move for Super Bowl MVP Jessie Buckley on The Bride! and Oscar nominated Hamnet The Nations Pod Guide puts Rome in the centre The Mitford sisters refuse to play by the rules The highlights of Piano Room Month 2026 with Vernon Kay Four big calls Borthwick could make to revive England Old Firm chaos: What happened? Who said what? What now? Should lower-ranked teams always play at home in the FA Cup? India triumphant again - do the rest have any hope of catching them? Five talking points from round four of Six Nations Is time-wasting in the Premier League getting worse? 'Everything was groundbreaking' - 50 years since historic Cheltenham race Why is figure skating not in the Paralympics? Watch Celtic beat Rangers on penalties to reach Scottish Cup semis. Video Watch Celtic beat Rangers on penalties to reach Scottish Cup semis Winter Paralympics daily guide: 12 skiing golds decided on Tuesday 'England's style of play is tedious and doesn't allow players to express themselves' Randell makes history with five wickets in five balls Was new-era F1 really racing or more like a computer game? Russell 'imperious' and Bearman 'raced beautifully' - driver ratings 'I saw a drone hit the US consulate' - Patten's escape from Dubai Who is to blame for Spurs' chaotic descent towards relegation? 'Howard Webb, where are you?' - How we can stop VAR ruining football 'There were tears - but I had to peek behind curtain of head injuries in rugby' Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.