Inter Miami star Luis Suarez has been handed a six-match suspension for his conduct after last weekend’s heated Leagues Cup final defeat to the Seattle Sounders, the tournament’s disciplinary committee announced on Friday.
The 38-year-old former Uruguay international and renowned striker, who has played for Liverpool and Barcelona, was punished for spitting at a Seattle official amid a post-match brawl following Miami’s 3-0 loss.
A statement from the Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee clarified that Suarez’s suspension will apply only to the next edition of the tournament. However, Major League Soccer (MLS) reserves the right to impose further disciplinary action.
Suarez’s Inter Miami teammates Sergio Busquets and Tomas Aviles also faced sanctions, receiving two- and three-match bans respectively. Seattle coaching staff member Steven Lenhart was suspended for five games.
The suspensions come in the wake of chaotic scenes immediately after Miami’s defeat on Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle, during the joint competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
Following the final whistle, Suarez aggressively confronted 20-year-old Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas, putting him in a headlock. This sparked a melee involving players and staff from both teams, forcing officials to intervene and restore order.
Later footage showed Suarez spitting at a Seattle security staff member as he walked away from the incident.
Suarez, who has a history of controversial disciplinary issues including biting and racial abuse, issued a public apology on Thursday for his actions.
“It was a moment of great tension and frustration,” Suarez wrote on Instagram. “Right after the match, things happened that shouldn’t have, but that doesn’t justify my reaction. I was wrong and sincerely regret it. I feel bad about what happened, and I want to apologize to everyone who felt hurt by my behavior.”
This latest episode adds to Suarez’s troubled disciplinary record. He was famously suspended for four months during the 2014 World Cup for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. Previous biting incidents occurred during his club career, and in 2011, he received an eight-game ban in England for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.
Additionally, Suarez was involved in a controversial moment at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when a deliberate handball denied Ghana a potential late winner in the quarter-finals.
AFP
