Inter Miami striker Luis Suárez has been suspended six games after he spit on Seattle Sounders security director Gene Ramirez following Sunday's Leagues Cup final.

Suárez kicked off a melee after the final whistle of Seattle's 3-0 win at Lumen Field, rushing to confront Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas. Soon, several players and coaches from both teams were involved in a brawl.

In addition to Suárez, the Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee issued a two-game suspension to Inter Miami's Sergio Busquets and a three-game ban for Miami defender Tomás Avilés, both for violent conduct.

Sounders assistant coach Steven Lenhart was also handed a five-game suspension for violent conduct.

All of the suspensions only apply to Leagues Cup matches, which could result in Suárez and Busquets never having to serve their bans. The veteran pair's contracts expire at the end of the current season and their futures are still undecided.

Both players could, however, still face punishment from MLS.

Per MLS's collective bargaining agreement, the league has the right to suspend a player for MLS matches even if the misconduct takes place outside of league competition.

Inter Miami has nine regular-season matches left in 2025 before the playoffs kick off in late October. The Herons are currently sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Suárez issued an apology for his actions in a statement Instagram on Thursday.

"I want to apologize for my behavior when the game ended," the 38-year-old wrote.

"It was a moment of much tension and frustration, where just after the game ended things happened that shouldn't have happened but that doesn't justify my reaction.

"I made a mistake and sincerely apologize. It's not the image I want to give in front of my family, that suffers because of my mistakes, in front of my club, that also doesn't deserve seeing themselves affected by something like this."

Inter Miami also released a statement on Thursday, which condemned the events on the pitch but didn't apologize or name any specific players.

"Inter Miami condemns the altercations that took place following the conclusion of the Leagues Cup Final," the statement read.

"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."

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: Suarez handed six-game Leagues Cup ban for spitting incident

Reporting by Seth Vertelney, Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

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