OFFICIAL: Former Man City star banned permanently from MLS

Two former MLS players, Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah, have been permanently banned from the league.

Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah were suspended after violating MLS regulations related to gambling. An investigation revealed that Jones and Yeboah engaged in extensive soccer betting, including wagering on matches involving their own teams. These activities occurred during the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons.

Among these incidents was a bet placed by both players that Jones would receive a yellow card in the match between New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew on October 19, 2024. In fact, Jones was issued a yellow card at the 35th minute during Columbus's 3-2 away victory.

Previously, Jones and Yeboah played together at Columbus, where they jointly won the Leagues Cup championship in 2024.

Currently, both players are no longer contracted with any MLS club. Jones was released by Columbus Crew in November, while Yeboah's contract was terminated by LAFC in January, and he subsequently joined the Chinese club Qingdao Hainiu.

In the official statement announcing the penalty, MLS stated: “Major League Soccer has imposed a permanent ban on Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah, two players currently not contracted with any MLS club, for violating the league's gambling policy.

After receiving warnings about suspicious betting activities from integrity partners, MLS hired the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP to conduct an investigation, and temporarily suspended both players pending the outcome.

After reviewing the investigation results, MLS concluded that the two players engaged in extensive soccer betting, including wagering on matches involving their own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons..."

Previously, Yeboah spent four years playing in England after joining Manchester City from the Right to Dream academy in Ghana at age 17 in 2014. This winger was later sold to Numancia after loan spells at Lille, Twente, and Real Oviedo while registered with Manchester City.

He then joined Polish club Wisla Krakow before signing with Columbus in January 2022. Yeboah made 91 MLS appearances for Columbus Crew and LAFC, winning the MLS Cup and Leagues Cup with Columbus.

Meanwhile, Jones, a former U.S. U23 national team player, spent his entire career playing in the United States. This Ghana-born midfielder made 130 MLS appearances for Charlotte FC, Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo, and Nashville. Jones was also a member of the Columbus Crew team that won the Leagues Cup in 2024 alongside Yeboah.