Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah has been handed a lifetime ban from the Major League Soccer after an investigation found he was involved in extensive gam
Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah has been handed a lifetime ban from the Major League Soccer after an investigation found he was involved in extensive gambling on football matches.
The league announced that Yeboah and his former teammate Derrick Jones violated MLS gambling regulations during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, when both players were connected with Columbus Crew.
According to MLS, the investigation began after suspicious betting alerts were detected by integrity monitoring partners. An independent law firm was subsequently hired to examine the case before the league reached its final decision.
The probe concluded that the two players had engaged in widespread betting on football, including wagers involving their own teams. In one instance cited by the league, both players placed a bet that Jones would receive a yellow card during an October 2024 match, an event that eventually occurred.
Despite the seriousness of the violations, investigators said there was no evidence that the betting activities directly influenced the outcome of any match. However, MLS said the actions represented a clear breach of the league’s strict gambling policy.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the punishment reflects the league’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the game.
“The league remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity,” Garber said, adding that MLS will continue to strengthen education and enforcement of gambling rules across the competition.
Yeboah, who previously played for Los Angeles FC and has represented the Ghana national football team, is one of the highest-profile players to receive such a sanction in the league.
The decision is widely considered one of the harshest disciplinary actions in MLS history, highlighting the league’s zero-tolerance approach to gambling violations involving players.
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