Luis Suarez seeks forgiveness after latest controversy as former Liverpool striker handed hefty ban

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 31: Head of security Gene Ramirez of the Seattle Sounders and Luis Suárez #9 of Inter Miami CF interact after the Leagues Cup Final match between Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami CF at Lumen Field on August 31, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.

The Seattle Sounders won 3-0.

(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)

Former Liverpool star Luis Suarez has been handed a six-game ban for spitting at a Seattle Sounders staff member after a 3-0 defeat for Inter Miami in the League Cup final last week.

The incident happened moments after the full-time whistle at Lumen Field in Seattle, following a melee involving both sets of players, which was initially sparked by the former Reds firebrand.

Suarez's ban, however, only covers League Cup fixtures, meaning he is not ruled out of any Major League Soccer matches as a result.

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Suarez initially cuffed Mexican international Obed Vargas around the neck, before team-mate Sergio Busquets then struck Sounders midfielder in the face.

The striker, who played at Anfield from 2011 to 2014, was then involved in an altercation with a Sounders staff member moments later and was forcibly held back by his colleague, Oscar Ustari, before appearing to spit in direction of the coach.

Apologising for the incident on social media, Suarez posted on Thursday: "First of all, I want to congratulate the Seattle Sounders for their Leagues Cup victory.

“But more importantly, I want to apologise for my behaviour at the end of the game.

I made a mistake and I’m sincerely sorry.

“That’s not the image that I want to portray in front of my family, who suffer for my errors, and (Inter Miami) doesn’t deserve to be affected by this either.

“I feel bad for what happened, and I did not want to miss this opportunity to recognise it and ask everyone for forgiveness who felt poorly about what I did.

“We know there is still a lot of season to play for, and we’re going to work together in order to accomplish the goals that this club and its fans deserve.

A hug to all.”"

However, the words on Instagram appear to have cut little ice with the 38-year-old handed a suspension that covers a half dozen League Cup games, while former Barcelona and Spain star Busquets has received a two-game ban.

Centre-back Thomas Aviles has been given a three-game ban for violent conduct, and Sounders coach Steven Lenhart has also been banned for five fixtures for his part in the scuffle.

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The spitting incident is the latest in a string of controversies involving Suarez, who arrived at Liverpool in January 2011 just a handful of months after biting Otman Bakkal while at Ajax, for which he was given a seven-game ban.

In 2013, Suarez bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during a 2-2 draw at Anfield, which earned him a 10-game suspension, before a similar incident occurred with Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in the 2014 World Cup, while playing for Uruguay.

FIFA suspended him for four months following that incident.

In 2011 he was handed an eight-game sanction for being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra and ordered to pay a £40,000 fine.