Miami forward Luis Suarez has been handed a six-match suspension after spitting on a Seattle Sounders staff member during the chaotic aftermath of last Sunday’s Leagues Cup final in Seattle.
The Sounders had clinched the title with a 3-0 victory over Inter Miami.
The Leagues Cup Organising Committee announced on Friday that two other Miami players were also punished—Sergio Busquets with a two-game ban and Tomas Aviles with a three-game suspension—for violent conduct in the same fracas.
On the opposite side, Sounders assistant coach Steven Lenhart received a five-game suspension.
Suarez’s ban covers the entire 2026 Leagues Cup since each team is guaranteed only three matches in the group stage.
If Inter Miami does not advance, the remainder of the suspension could extend into the 2027 edition.
The decision does not directly affect his Major League Soccer participation, though MLS has stated it may consider additional sanctions against those involved.
This is not the first time Suarez has courted controversy.
Over his two-decade career with clubs such as Liverpool, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, he has served multiple bans, including three separate incidents for biting opponents.
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The most infamous came at the 2014 World Cup, when he bit Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.
In response to the latest incident, Suarez posted an apology on social media Thursday, acknowledging his mistake.
“It was a moment of high tension and frustration right after the final whistle,” he wrote.
“That doesn’t excuse my reaction. I made a mistake and I sincerely apologise—to my family, who suffer because of my actions, and to my club, which should not have to deal with the consequences of something like this.”
