Inter Miami striker Luis Suárez has been handed a six-match suspension following ugly scenes in the Leagues Cup final against the Seattle Sounders, tournament disciplinary chiefs confirmed on Friday.
The 38-year-old Uruguayan forward, who previously starred for Liverpool, Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid, was sanctioned after spitting at a Sounders staff member in the aftermath of Miami’s 3-0 defeat last Sunday.
According to the Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee, Suárez’s ban will take effect in next year’s edition of the tournament, though Major League Soccer has reserved the right to add further penalties.
Suárez’s Inter Miami teammates Sergio Busquets and Tomás Avilés were also punished with two-match and three-match suspensions respectively, while Seattle Sounders coach Steven Lenhart was banned for five games.
The chaotic clash erupted immediately after the final whistle when Suárez placed 20-year-old Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas in a headlock, sparking a mass confrontation involving players and staff from both sides. Moments later, cameras caught Suárez spitting toward a Seattle security staff member as he left the pitch.
In a statement posted on Instagram Thursday, Suárez admitted wrongdoing and apologized for his actions.
“It was a moment of great tension and frustration… but that doesn’t justify the reaction I had. I was wrong and I sincerely regret it,” he wrote.
This latest controversy adds to Suárez’s long disciplinary record. He has previously been banned for racially abusing Patrice Evra in 2011, multiple biting incidents — including the infamous bite on Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup — and his deliberate handball that denied Ghana a famous quarterfinal victory in South Africa in 2010.
#LuisSuarez #LeaguesCup #InterMiami #FootballDrama
