Luis Suárez Receives Additional Sanction for Incident in the Leagues Cup Final
MLS has announced an additional three-match suspension for Inter Miami player Luis Suárez due to an incident in which he spat at a member of the Seattle Sounders staff after the Leagues Cup final on August 31. This new suspension means that Suárez will miss the matches against Charlotte FC on September 13, Seattle Sounders on September 16, and D.C. United on September 20. The sanction comes after the Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee confirmed that Suárez would serve a six-match suspension in future editions of the tournament due to his behavior after the final whistle. In the Leagues Cup final, Inter Miami was defeated 3-0 by the Sounders at Lumen Field. After the match, Suárez was involved in several arguments on the field and ultimately spat at a member of the opposing team’s staff. Suárez has issued a public apology for his actions through social media.Inter Miami also released a statement to condemn the team’s behavior after the final. MLS will also revoke the credential privileges of Steven Lenhart, a member of the Seattle Sounders staff, for the remainder of the regular season and the 2025 postseason due to his involvement in the fight that broke out between the two teams after the final. Lenhart will only be allowed in public seating areas during Seattle Sounders FC home matches and will not be allowed on or near the field of play, nor in or around the locker rooms or tunnel. His access will be reviewed again before the 2026 MLS season. The Sounders have also been fined by the league and forced to pay an undisclosed amount for the “misappropriation of credentials”. In addition, Inter Miami players Sergio Busquets and Tomás Avilés were also sanctioned by the Leagues Cup, receiving suspensions of two and three matches, respectively, for their actions. However, Busquets and Aviles did not receive any additional sanctions from MLS. Both players will be available for Inter Miami’s next match against Charlotte FC.It was a moment of great tension and frustration, where right after the match ended, things happened that shouldn’t have happened, but that doesn’t justify my reaction. I made a mistake and sincerely apologize. It’s not the image I want to give in front of my family, who suffer because of my mistakes, in front of my club, which also doesn’t deserve to be affected by something like that.
Luis Suárez
