The Leagues Cup Organizing Committee suspended Inter Miami star forward Luis Suarez six games Friday for spitting at a staff member of the Seattle Sounders after the recent tournament final.
As the Sounders concluded a 3-0 victory in Seattle to win the cup, the teams got in a scuffle that featured the Suarez spitting incident as well as Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets appearing to throw a punch.
The Leagues Cup suspended Busquets two games and Miami defender Tomas Aviles three games for their aggressive behavior in the melee. And Sounders assistant coach Steven Lenhart was handed a five-game suspension after similarly being reported for violent conduct.
These suspensions only cover future participation in the Leagues Cup — the midseason tournament featuring MLS and Liga MX teams that just concluded its fifth edition.
As for Major League Soccer, the Leagues Cup committee noted in a statement that MLS “reserves the right to impose further disciplinary actions on the players and coaching staff involved.”
It’s unclear whether MLS will do so. Inter Miami are slated to host the Sounders on Sept. 16 in league play.
Suarez apologized for his behavior in a social media post Thursday.
“It was a moment of much tension and frustration, where just after the game ended things happened that shouldn’t have happened but that doesn’t justify my reaction,” he wrote in part.
“I made a mistake and sincerely apologize. It’s not the image I want to give in front of my family, that suffers because of my mistakes, in front of my club, that also doesn’t deserve seeing themselves affected by something like this.
“I feel bad for what happened, and I didn’t want to let pass the opportunity to recognize and apologize to everything that felt bad for what I did. We know there is still a lot of season left ahead and we will work together to try and get the triumphs that this club and its fans deserve. A hug to all.”
Suarez, a 38-year-old Uruguayan who once starred for Liverpool and Barcelona, has a history of bad behavior on the field. Three times he has been suspended for biting opponents, and he once was suspended for racial abuse, though he denied the allegation.
Suarez has six goals and 10 assists in 22 MLS matches this season, and he added three goals and three assists in six Leagues Cup matches.
–Field Level Media
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