Inter Miami star Luis Suárez issued an apology on Thursday, Sept. 4, expressing regret for his actions following the Leagues Cup final which included spitting on a Seattle Sounders staffer.
MLS or the Leagues Cup disciplinary committee have yet to announce any punishment related to any players involved in the postgame scenes, after the Sounders beat Miami 3-0 to win the 2025 Leagues Cup.
Before Suárez was seen spitting on Seattle’s Head of Security Gene Ramirez, he forcefully put his hand around the back of the neck of 20-year-old Sounders defender Obed Vargas after the final whistle was blown.
Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets also jabbed Vargas on the chin, causing both teams to engaged in a heated exchange before the postgame trophy celebration.
“First of all, I want to congratulate Seattle Sounders for the victory in the Leagues Cup. But, above all, I want to apologize for my behavior at the end of the game,” Suárez posted on his Instagram account.
“It was a moment of great tension and frustration, where as soon as the game ended, things happened that shouldn’t have happened. But that doesn’t justify the reaction I had. I was wrong and I sincerely regret it.
“It is not the image I want to give neither in front of my family, who suffers from my mistakes, nor in front of my club, which also does not deserve to be affected by something like that. I feel bad about what happened, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to recognize it, and apologize to all those who felt bad for what I did.
“We know that there is still a long season ahead, and we will work together to achieve the successes that this club and all its fans deserve.”
Suárez has been deemed one of the world’s dirtiest players over the course of his career, infamous for biting opponents on three separate occasions – including in the 2014 World Cup – and was also suspended for racially abusing an opponent in 2011.
It’s tarnished the stellar career for one of the greatest strikers in the sport’s history, just four goals shy of 600 in his career.
Suárez bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which resulted in a four-month ban with Uruguay and FC Barcelona at the time.
He received a 10-game ban with Liverpool for biting the forearm of Chelsea fullback Branislav Ivanovic in 2013, and a seven-game ban for biting the shoulder of Eindoven’s Otman Bakkal while playing with Ajax in the Netherlands.
Suárez was also banned eight matches in 2011 after being found guilty for a racial slur toward Manchester United’s Patrick Evra.
Inter Miami returns to regular-season action on the road against Charlotte FC on Sept. 13, before hosting Seattle on Sept. 16.