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Luis Suarez has apologized after spitting at a Seattle Sounders coach after his Inter Miami side was beaten 3-0 in the Leagues Cup final.
Both sets of players were involved in a scuffle following the end of the game, with Suarez first holding Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas around the neck, before the unsavory incident involving the Sounders coach. Video footage clearly showed former Liverpool star Suarez spitting in the direction of the coach, and he made no excuse for his behavior in an apology issued on Instagram.
“First of all, I want to congratulate the Seattle Sounders for their Leagues Cup victory," Suarez wrote. "But more importantly, I want to apologize for my behaviour at the end of the game.
“It was a moment full of tension and frustration, when things took place at the end of the game that shouldn’t have occurred, but that doesn’t justify my reaction. 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 recognize 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.”
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano — who was one of Suarez's teammates at Barcelona — appeared to excuse Suarez's reaction, suggesting that his players may have been provoked after the final whistle.
"Nobody likes that at the end of the game there are this kind of actions," Mascherano said.
"Then there is a reaction, there may be a provocation, but I do not know what happened."
Suarez is no stranger to controversy, having been the guilty party in a number of unsavory flashpoints throughout his career.
The 38-year-old received bans for biting Otman Bakkal, Branislav Ivanovic, and Giorgio Chiellini — while playing for Ajax, Liverpool, and Uruguay, respectively — earlier in his career.
Suarez also received an eight-game suspension from the FA for racially abusing Patrice Evra during a game between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2011.
English (US) ·