Betting Scandal Rocks MLS As Two African Players Banned For Life

Betting Scandal Rocks MLS As Two African Players Banned For Life

By Admin 

Two Ghana-born footballers have received lifetime bans from Major League Soccer following a betting scandal that prompted the league to reinforce its stance on gambling-related misconduct, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

In a statement released on Monday, MLS confirmed that Yaw Yeboah and Derrick Jones had been handed lifetime suspensions after an investigation found they violated the league’s strict gambling regulations during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

According to the findings, both players placed multiple bets on football matches, including wagers involving games featuring their own teams — a serious breach of MLS integrity rules.

One of the incidents examined during the investigation involved a match between Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls on October 19, 2024. Investigators discovered that a wager had been placed predicting that Jones would receive a yellow card during the game, which ultimately occurred.

The suspicious betting activity was flagged by the league’s integrity monitoring partners, leading MLS to place the players on administrative leave while a full inquiry was conducted. League officials stressed that protecting the credibility and fairness of the competition remains a top priority.

Although investigators did not find evidence that the outcome of any match had been directly manipulated, MLS concluded that the players had nonetheless committed serious violations of the league’s gambling policies.

Officials also believe the pair may have shared confidential information with external bettors, particularly regarding the circumstances surrounding the predicted yellow card incident.

At the time of the investigation, Yeboah was playing for Los Angeles FC, while Jones was part of the Columbus Crew squad that won the MLS Cup in 2024. However, neither player was under contract with an MLS club when the investigation concluded.

Yeboah had already left Los Angeles FC and moved to China after his contract was terminated, while Jones has reportedly been without a club since the beginning of the year.

MLS commissioner Don Garber used the case to highlight broader concerns about betting markets tied to MLS matches, particularly wagers linked to yellow cards, warning that such options could threaten the integrity of the sport.

The league also announced plans to strengthen educational programmes for players while continuing to strictly enforce its regulations prohibiting gambling on football.