Suárez & Busquets dealt major Leagues Cup suspensions | OneFootball

The 2025 Leagues Cup final at Lumen Field was meant to be a showcase of North American soccer’s growing stature, but instead it descended into chaos.

After the Seattle Sounders’ emphatic 3-0 victory over Inter Miami, tempers boiled over into an ugly post-match brawl that has now led to significant disciplinary action.

The Leagues Cup Organizing Committee announced on Friday that Luis Suárez has been suspended for six matches in future editions of the tournament after allegedly spitting on Sounders security director Gene Ramirez during the melee. The 38-year-old striker also put Seattle’s Obed Vargas in a headlock and stomped on Ramirez’s foot in the altercation.

Suárez’s Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets was also punished, receiving a two-match suspension for punching Vargas during the skirmish. Young defender Tomás Avilés was hit with a three-match ban, while Seattle assistant coach Steven Lenhart received a five-match suspension for his role in the incident. All four individuals were fined in addition to their bans.

Importantly, these sanctions apply only to Leagues Cup competition and will not affect Miami’s MLS campaign. However, Major League Soccer has not ruled out imposing additional punishment.

In the wake of the fallout, Suárez took to Instagram to issue a public apology, admitting his actions were unacceptable. “It was a moment of tension and frustration,” he wrote, “but it does not justify my behavior. I apologize to my family, my club, and all the fans.”

Inter Miami also released a statement condemning the violence and pledging full cooperation with both MLS and Leagues Cup officials.

For Suárez, the suspension adds to a long list of disciplinary controversies across his career, from biting incidents to accusations of violent conduct. For Miami, the brawl raises further questions about discipline within a squad already under heavy scrutiny.

With Inter Miami set to meet the Sounders again in MLS play on September 16, tensions are unlikely to cool anytime soon.

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