Inter Miami star Luis Suarez has been issued a three-game suspension by Major League Soccer on Monday for a spitting incident after Miami lost the Leagues Cup final to Seattle.
The latest development is coming just days after the former Barcelona star was issued a six-match ban by the Leagues Cup for the same offense.
Suarez will be suspended for Miami regular-season matches on Saturday at Charlotte and at home against Seattle on September 16 and DC United on September 20.
MLS also revoked credential rights for Sounders staffer Steven Lenhart for the remainder of the season and playoffs, keeping him from being on or near the field or locker rooms. The Sounders were also fined an undisclosed sum for credential misappropriation.
Inter Miami sit sixth in the Eastern Conference on 46 points — 11 behind conference leaders Philadelphia, but have four matches in hand.
The Leagues Cup disciplinary committee said Suarez’s suspension would only apply to next year’s edition of the tournament, which features sides from MLS and Mexico’s Liga-MX.
The Cup also issued Suarez’s Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets a two-match ban and Miami’s Tomas Aviles was barred from three Cup matches while Lenhart was suspended for five Cup games.
Suarez apologized for his actions in a statement last Thursday, a day prior to the Cup-imposed punishments.
“It was a moment of great tension and frustration, where right after the match things happened that shouldn’t have happened, but that doesn’t justify the reaction I had,” Suarez wrote on Instagram.
“I was wrong and I sincerely regret it… I feel bad about what happened, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to acknowledge it and apologize to everyone who felt hurt by what I did.”
