Luis Suárez Hit with Six-Game Ban After Heated Leagues Cup Final
Luis Suárez has once again found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after receiving a six-match suspension for misconduct during Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup final defeat to Seattle Sounders on August 31.
Tensions boiled over after Miami’s 3–0 loss, when Suárez, clearly furious, first grabbed Seattle’s Obed Vargas by the neck. The situation worsened when his former Barcelona teammate, Sergio Busquets, struck Vargas during the scuffle.
Things turned even uglier when Suárez confronted Seattle’s director of security, Gene Ramirez. Despite attempts from Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to hold him back, the striker spat directly in Ramirez’s face — an act that shocked both sides and quickly drew condemnation.
The 38-year-old forward later took to Instagram to apologise, admitting regret for his behaviour.
The disciplinary committee ruled that Suárez’s ban will apply to the 2026 Leagues Cup, though MLS has reserved the right to impose further punishment, leaving the door open for additional sanctions.
Other players also faced consequences. Busquets received a two-match suspension, Tomas Avilés will miss three games, while Seattle staff member Steven Lenhart was handed a five-match ban for his involvement.
The Leagues Cup, contested between MLS and Liga MX clubs, has grown in stature and intensity, but rarely has it produced a controversy this explosive.
For Suárez, though, controversy is nothing new. Over his career, he has served multiple bans, including the infamous eight-game suspension in 2011 for racially abusing Patrice Evra and three separate punishments for biting opponents while playing for Ajax, Liverpool, and Uruguay.
This latest chapter adds to a long list of flashpoints that have shaped — and scarred — the career of one of football’s most gifted yet volatile strikers.
