Suárez handed 6-match ban in Leagues Cup after controversy | OneFootball

Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez was suspended this Friday for six games in the Leagues Cup for spitting at a member of the Seattle Sounders, who defeated Inter Miami in the final of the tournament, held last weekend, according to the organization.

The suspension means that Suárez, 38, will not play in the next edition of the competition, which brings together Mexican clubs and teams from the United States league (MLS).

The Uruguayan, however, may not end up serving the punishment, as his contract with the Florida team ends in December and there is still no decision about his future.

The Leagues Cup also imposed a two-game suspension on Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, who was also involved in the altercation at the end of the match at Lumen Field stadium in Seattle, for “violent conduct.”

Busquets, 37, is another player whose future is uncertain, as his contract with Inter also runs only until the end of the season.

Argentine defender Tomás Avilés was also punished, receiving a three-game suspension, and will miss the start of the next edition of the competition, which was Inter Miami’s only chance to win an international trophy in 2025.

The only member of the Seattle Sounders to be punished was Steven Lenhart, who is part of coach Brian Schmetzer’s staff, with a five-game suspension, and he will only be able to be on the field if the champions reach the final in 2026.

All those punished will have to pay fines, the amounts of which were not disclosed.

“Additionally, MLS reserves the right to impose further disciplinary measures on the players and coaching staff members involved,” the statement added.

Suárez, who on Thursday apologized for his conduct, is in the spotlight for having sparked the brawl that began after Seattle’s 3-0 victory.

When the home team’s players began to celebrate after the final whistle, the Uruguayan ran up to young Mexican midfielder Obed Vargas and grabbed him by the neck with his left arm, starting a fight that involved several players from both teams.

Busquets also struck Vargas with a punch to the chin amid a series of scuffles between the players.

After separating from Vargas, cameras captured Suárez shouting and spitting at a member of Seattle’s staff, in yet another controversial on-field episode involving the top scorer in the history of the Uruguayan national team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.