NEW YORK: Inter Miami star Luis Suarez has been handed a six-match suspension for his actions following last weekend’s stormy Leagues Cup final defeat to the Seattle Sounders, tournament disciplinary chiefs said on Friday.
The 38-year-old former Uruguay, Liverpool and Barcelona star was sanctioned for spitting at a Sounders official after becoming embroiled in a melee following Miami’s 3-0 loss.
A statement from the Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee said Suarez’s suspension would only apply to next year’s edition of the tournament, although Major League Soccer “reserves the right” to impose additional punishment.
Suarez’s Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets has also been given a two-match ban. Another Inter player, Tomas Aviles, has been barred from three games.
Seattle coaching staff member Steven Lenhart has been suspended for five games.
The range of punishments followed chaotic scenes at the end of Miami’s defeat in Sunday’s final at Seattle in the joint competition for teams from MLS and Mexico’s Liga-MX.
Immediately after the final whistle, Suarez rushed at 20-year-old Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas and put him in a headlock, sparking a melee involving multiple players and staff from both sides.
Officials scrambled to restore order, but cameras later caught Suarez spitting at a Seattle security staff member as he walked away from Vargas.
Suarez — who has previously been hit with suspensions for biting and racially abusing opponents in separate incidents earlier in his career — issued an apology for his behavior in a statement on Thursday.
“It was a moment of great tension and frustration, where right after the match things happened that shouldn’t have happened, but that doesn’t justify the reaction I had,” Suarez wrote on Instagram.
“I was wrong and I sincerely regret it... I feel bad about what happened, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to acknowledge it and apologize to everyone who felt hurt by what I did,” Suarez added.
It marked the latest episode in Suarez’s chequered disciplinary career.
He was infamously kicked out of the 2014 World Cup after being handed a four-month ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.
He has also been sanctioned for biting incidents in club play and in 2011 he was handed an eight-game ban by authorities in England for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United’s France star Patrice Evra.
He was also one of the villains of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when his cynical handball on the goal-line denied Ghana what would have been a late winner in the quarter-finals.
Suarez banned six matches for Leagues Cup spitting furor: official
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Suarez banned six matches for Leagues Cup spitting furor: official
- The 38-year-old was sanctioned for spitting at a Sounders official after becoming embroiled in a melee following Miami’s 3-0 loss
- Suarez’s Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets has also been given a two-match ban
NBA legend Jordan, NASCAR settle anti-trust lawsuit
- Suit accused NASCAR and the racing circuit’s chief executive operating without transparency, stifling competition and controlling the sport
- Front Row and 23XI were the only two NASCAR teams out of 15 who did not sign the new charters at the heart of the dispute
MIAMI: NBA legend Michael Jordan reached a settlement in his anti-trust case against NASCAR on Thursday, ending a federal lawsuit that had threatened to upend the sport.
Jordan’s 23XI Racing and the Front Row Motorsports teams had both sued NASCAR after refusing to sign the circuit’s new charters, the rules which guarantee teams entry to races and share of prize money.
Front Row and 23XI alleged the charters were unfair and did not give the teams enough rights or money.
The suit accused NASCAR and the racing circuit’s chief executive Jim France of operating without transparency, stifling competition, and controlling the sport in ways that unfairly benefit them at the expense of team owners, drivers, sponsors, partners and fans.
However in a joint statement issued on Thursday, the warring factions announced a settlement had now been reached which would see NASCAR issue an amendment to existing charter holders. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“From the beginning, this lawsuit was about progress,” Jordan said in a statement.
“It was about making sure our sport evolves in a way that supports everyone: teams, drivers, partners, employees and fans,” added Jordan, who had testified in court last week after the trial got underway.
“With a foundation to build equity and invest in the future and a stronger voice in the decisions ahead, we now have the chance to grow together and make the sport even better for generations to come,” Jordan said.
Front Row and 23XI were the only two NASCAR teams out of 15 who did not sign the new charters at the heart of the dispute.
NASCAR chief executive France said Thursday’s agreement ensured the future of the circuit for “generations to come.”
“We worked closely with race teams and tracks to create the NASCAR charter system in 2016, and it has proven invaluable to their operations and to the quality of racing across the Cup Series,” France said.
“Today’s agreement reaffirms our commitment to preserving and enhancing that value.”
