3 weeks ago
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Luis Suarez appeared to spit on a staff member of the Seattle Sounders moments after Inter Miami and Lionel Messi suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in the Leagues Cup final. Once the final whistle sounded, players from both sides met near midfield and engaged in a shoving match. Things quickly took a turn for the worse at Lumen Field, with a flurry of punches and curses being thrown.
Suarez — who played for Liverpool from 2011 to 2014 — found himself at the heart of the conflict, immediately taking a run at Obed Vargas. As tensions boiled over, Inter Miami defender Maximiliano Falcon placed Cody Baker in a chokehold while Toto Avila uncorked the first punch.
While players and coaches continued to tussle on the field, Suarez approached a Seattle staff member and began shouting several inches away from his face. Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari attempted to subdue the confrontation by getting in between the pair, but to no avail.
As the staff member looked away and attempted to ignore Suarez, the 38-year-old appeared to spit at him and connect on the side of his face.
Taking to social media, droves of viewers slammed Suarez for the crude act while demanding that he be punished for his actions. “What happened with Luis Suárez today is lamentable,” one X user wrote.
“Spitting at a member of the rival coaching staff defines him as a sore loser and a disgustingly average player. No matter how much talent you have, these attitudes stain you forever.”
Another added, “If there's a shred of decency left in @FIFAcom and @Concacaf, this should be the last match Luis Suárez plays as a professional."
A third chimed in: “Luis Suarez is the s-------- player in the entire history. Spitting on a senior citizen like that. What can you expect from a guy who bit 3 players?”
Speaking to reporters during a post-match press conference, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano refrained from weighing in on the skirmish or Suarez’s behavior — though did hint that his club was likely instigated.
“I don’t have anything to say because I was far from the acts that happened and didn’t really see,” Mascherano said. “Obviously you never like this type of thing, but if there was a reaction possibly there was also instigation.”
This is hardly the first time that Suarez has let his emotions get the best of him during a fiery outburst. During a Premier League match in April 2013, he was handed a 10-match ban from the English FA for biting Branislav Ivanovic on the arm.
In 2010 and 2014, Suarez similarly bit Otman Bakkal and Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder while representing Ajax and Uruguay in the FIFA World Cup, respectively.
Following the latter incident, FIFA banned him for nine international matches while also barring him from all soccer-related activity for four months.
English (US) ·