Luis Suarez gets six-match ban for spitting incident in Leagues Cup Final

Inter Miami striker 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 38-year-old former Uruguay, Liverpool, and Barcelona star was punished for spitting at a Sounders official after Miami’s 3-0 loss, following a post-match brawl.

The Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee announced on Friday that Suarez’s suspension will apply to next year’s edition of the tournament, but Major League Soccer (MLS) “reserves the right” to impose further sanctions.

Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets also received a two-match ban, while Tomas Aviles was suspended for three games. Seattle coaching staff member Steven Lenhart was handed a five-game suspension.

The sanctions followed chaotic scenes in Sunday’s final in Seattle. Moments after the whistle, Suarez rushed at 20-year-old Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas and put him in a headlock, sparking a melee involving players and staff. Cameras later captured Suarez spitting at a Seattle security staff member while walking away.

In a statement on Thursday, Suarez apologized for his actions, admitting frustration played a role but insisting it didn’t justify his behaviour.

“It was a moment of great tension and frustration, where right after the match things happened that shouldn’t have happened. But that doesn’t justify the reaction I had,” Suarez wrote on Instagram.

“I was wrong and I sincerely regret it. I feel bad about what happened, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to acknowledge it and apologize to everyone who felt hurt by what I did.”

This incident adds to Suarez’s controversial disciplinary history, which includes a four-month ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup, previous biting incidents in club football, and an eight-game suspension in 2011 for racially abusing Patrice Evra. He also sparked outrage at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for a deliberate handball that denied Ghana a late winner in the quarter-finals.