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New Delhi: Luis Suarez has been handed a six-match ban by the Leagues Cup Organising Committee after his latest incident involving his mouth on the football field. The Inter Miami star landed in trouble after it appeared that he spit at a member of the Seattle Sounders’ coaching staff following his team’s 0-3 defeat in the Leagues Cup final.
As the Sounders ended the match with a 3-0 victory in Seattle to win the cup, the teams got into a fight that featured the Suarez spitting incident as well as Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets appearing to throw a punch.
The Leagues Cup suspended Busquets for two matches and Miami defender Tomas Aviles for three games for their aggressive behaviour, while Sounders assistant coach Steven Lenhart has been banned for five games after similarly being reported for violent conduct.
Suarez issued an apology and said that he made a mistake and it's not the image he wants to give in front of his family. The star footballer further added that he feels bad for what has happened on the field.
"I didn’t want to let pass the opportunity to recognize and apologize to everything that felt bad for what I did. We know there is still a lot of season left ahead and we will work together to try and get the triumphs that this club and its fans deserve. A hug to all," he added.
In October 2011, Liverpool's Suarez was playing against Manchester United, and he was involved in a racial abuse incident with Patrice Evra. An FA report from 2012 stated that Suarez told Evra, "Porque tu eres negro," which Evra understood to mean, "Because you are a n***,".
The report further noted that Evra now believes that the phrase translates to "Because you are black,". Despite the denials, Suarez received an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine. The controversy continued in their next match, when Suarez refused to shake hands with Evra, though he later apologised.
After the match, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said that he had nothing to say because he was far away and didn’t see what happened. "Nobody likes for there to be these types of actions. Maybe there was provocation, but I don’t know what happened,".
