Major League Soccer (MLS) has announced extremely harsh sanctions against two former players of the North American league. Ghanaian international Yaw Yeboah and American midfielder Derrick Jones have been banned for life for violating rules related to sports betting.

In a statement released Monday, the league specified that the two soccer players, who are not currently under contract with any MLS franchise, violated its internal gambling policy. The investigation revealed that they had placed several bets on MLS matches between 2024 and 2025, including matches in which they were participating.

According to the league's findings, the two players allegedly placed bets on certain game events. In one specific instance on October 19, they predicted that Derrick Jones would receive a yellow card during the match, which is indeed what happened. Despite this, MLS maintains that it found no evidence that these bets directly influenced the outcome of the matches in question.

The league believes, however, that the two players likely shared internal information with other bettors, including their intention to receive a warning, which constitutes a serious breach of regulations.

From a sporting perspective, both players had already left MLS. Yaw Yeboah, now 28, who notably played for Lille OSC during the 2015-2016 season, joined Los Angeles FC in 2025 after a stint with the Columbus Crew. His contract was terminated in January before he continued his career in China in February.

For his part, Derrick Jones (29 years old) has played in several MLS clubs and was part of the squad that won the championship in 2024 with Columbus.

This case comes amid heightened vigilance in the United States regarding sports betting. Since the gradual legalization of this practice in many states, several professional leagues, including MLS and the NBA, have strengthened their rules to prevent any attempt at manipulation or leakage of sensitive information.