MLS terminates Felipe Hernandez's contract for involvement in sports betting

MLS announced Tuesday that it has terminated the contract of Sporting Kansas City's Felipe Hernandez of Colombia for a second violation of the league's gambling policies.

"Hernandez will be eligible for reinstatement on Jan. 1st, 2026 through an application to the commissioner's office. The league's investigation found no evidence that insider information was shared or that the integrity of any MLS match was compromised," the league added in a statement.

On 14th June, MLS placed the Colombian on administrative leave for again violating the league's gambling policies. MLS then recalled that, in addition to violating "the league's game integrity policies", the player had breached "the terms of his January reinstatement in 2022".

Hernandez was first suspended in October 2021 for the remainder of this season for violating MLS's "integrity rules and standards of conduct". That 2022 reinstatement was subject to Hernandez not becoming involved in gambling again.

The 26-year-old midfielder made his debut for Sporting Kansas City in 2019 and in total played 78 MLS games (including the ‘playoff’) with four goals and six assists.

 

September 11, 2024