Ex-Liverpool star Luis Suarez apologises for spitting on rival coach

Ex-Liverpool star Luis Suarez apologises for spitting on rival coach

Former Liverpool 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.

Footage showed Suarez confronting a Sounders staff member near the middle of the pitch as tensions flared between both sides after the final whistle. 

 

The 38-year-old got in the coach’s face before appearing to spit at him as Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari tried to intervene.

His behaviour has been widely condemned since, and now the forward has finally admitted he made a mistake.

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“First of all, I want to congratulate the Seattle Sounders for their Leagues Cup victory,” Suarez wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

“But more importantly, I want to apologise 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 recognise 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.”

The former Liverpool and Barcelona striker has a past been invloved with controversy on the pitch.

 

He was banned for eight matches and fined by the English FA in 2011 for making racist remarks toward Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. 

Suarez later refused to shake Evra’s hand in a highly charged Premier League meeting.

 

During the 2014 World Cup, he was suspended for four months after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini – the third biting incident of his career. 

He had previously bitten Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic while playing for Liverpool and Otman Bakkal during his time at Ajax.

 

Ex-Liverpool star Luis Suarez apologises for spitting on rival coach