Inter Miami star Luis Suarez has been handed a six-match suspension for his actions following last weekend’s stormy Leagues Cup final defeat to the Seattle Sounders, tournament disciplinary chiefs said on Friday.
The 38-year-old former Uruguay, Liverpool and Barcelona star was sanctioned for spitting at a Sounders’ official after becoming embroiled in a melee following Miami’s 3-0 loss.
A statement from the Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee said Suarez’s suspension would only apply to next year’s edition of the tournament, although Major League Soccer “reserves the right” to impose additional punishment.
Suarez’s Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets has also been given a two-match ban. Another Inter player, Tomas Aviles, has been barred from three games.
Seattle coaching staff member Steven Lenhart has been suspended for five games.
The range of punishments followed chaotic scenes at the end of Miami’s defeat in Sunday’s final at Seattle in the joint competition for teams from MLS and Mexico’s Liga-MX.
Immediately after the final whistle, Suarez rushed at 20-year-old Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas and put him in a headlock, sparking a melee involving multiple players and staff from both sides.
Officials scrambled to restore order, but cameras later caught Suarez spitting at a Seattle security staff member as he walked away from Vargas.
Suarez – who has previously been hit with suspensions for biting and racially abusing opponents in separate incidents earlier in his career – issued an apology for his behaviour in a statement on Thursday. AFP
