Uruguay international striker Luis Suarez appeared to spit at a Seattle Sounders staff member after his Inter Miami team played the Sounders in the Leagues Cup final
Former Liverpool and Barcelona star Luis Suarez has issued a written apology after appearing to spit at a Seattle Sounders staff member at the Leagues Cup final. Inter Miami lost 3-0 in the final of the tournament, which sees the best teams from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX battle it out for glory, despite Suarez and Lionel Messi headlining a star-studded squad.
North American soccer chiefs are understood to have launched a probe into Suarez’s behaviour. The Uruguay international was separated from Gene Ramirez, the Sounders’ director of security, after appearing to spit in his face.
“First of all, I want to congratulate the Seattle Sounders for their Leagues Cup victory,” Suarez wrote on Instagram, as translated by The Athletic. “But more importantly, I want to apologize for my behavior 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.”
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Inter Miami issued a statement of their own following the incident. «Inter Miami condemns the altercations that took place following the conclusion of the Leagues Cup Final,» the club wrote. «These actions do not reflect the values of our sport, and we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of sportsmanship both on and off the pitch.
«We are working closely with Leagues Cup and MLS officials to ensure the situation is addressed appropriately. We thank our fans and community for their continued support.»
The Leagues Cup final itself ended in a comfortable Sounders win. Osaze De Rosario opened the scoring in the first half, with Alex Roldan doubling their lead from the penalty spot six minutes from time and Paul Rothrock adding a late third.
«Unfortunately, that is going to take some of the attention away from a great performance by the Seattle Sounders,» head coach Brian Schmetzer said of the Suarez incident immediately after the win. «Their players were frustrated and that led to some things happening on the field that shouldn’t happen on the field.
«I’m going to shut that down, because that shouldn’t be the story. The story of the game is not what happened after the game. I had a quiet moment with Messi on the field [after the game] and we talked and we tried to push it aside. That’s the story.»
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