Suárez Suspended 6 Games for Spitting Incident After Leagues Cup Final; Busquets and Avilés Also Sanctioned

Inter Miami striker Luis Suárez has been given a six-game suspension by the Leagues Cup Organizing Committee for spitting at a Seattle Sounders staff member following Sunday's Leagues Cup final.

The Sounders triumphed 3-0 over Miami before a brawl broke out following the final whistle, which saw Suárez have to be held back by teammates and coaches before spitting on a member of the opposing team's staff.

Amid the melee, Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets threw a punch at Seattle's Obed Vargas while Miami defender Tomás Avilés was also involved in aggressive behavior.

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Busquets has been given a two-game ban while Avilés will be suspended for three games for participating in violent conduct.

The committee handed additional sanctions to Seattle Sounders coaching staff member Steven Lenhart, who will serve a five-match suspension for going against Article 4.2.C of the Leagues Cup 2025 Competition Regulations.

"In accordance with the Leagues Cup Regulations, all four individuals sanctioned will also receive fines as a result of their conduct. All suspensions must be served in the next edition or editions of Leagues Cup until fully completed," the committee said in a statement.

The statement noted that "Major League Soccer (MLS) reserves the right to impose further disciplinary actions on the players and coaching staff involved."

MLS has not made an official announcement about any additional suspensions.

The Leagues Cup is an annual tournament held each summer between MLS and Liga MX clubs so the suspensions will not apply until the 2026 edition. The Miami contracts of both Suárez and Busquets are set to expire at the end of the season.

Suárez has since apologized for his behavior following the final, posting a statement to his social media.

"It was a moment of much tension and frustration, where just after the game ended things happened that shouldn't have happened but that doesn't justify my reaction," he wrote.

"I made a mistake and sincerely apologize. It's not the image I want to give in front of my family, that suffers because of my mistakes, in front of my club, that also doesn't deserve seeing themselves affected by something like this."

Inter Miami then also released a statement, saying the club "condemns the altercations that took place following the conclusion of the Leagues Cup Final."