Luis Suarez apologises for behaviour after Inter Miami’s cup final defeat

Luis Suarez said he “sincerely regrets” his part in a post-match melee after his Inter Miami side’s 3-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders.

The former Liverpool striker appeared to spit towards a Seattle official after Sunday’s Leagues Cup final defeat, as well as grabbing an opposition player by the neck.

The incident is being investigated by Major League Soccer and competition officials.

Writing on Instagram in Spanish, Suarez said: “I want to apologise for my behaviour at the end of the match. It was a very tense and frustrating moment.

“Things happened right after the match that shouldn’t have happened, but that doesn’t justify my reaction. I was wrong and I sincerely regret it.

“It’s not the image I want to portray, neither to my family, who are suffering because of my mistakes, nor to my club, which doesn’t deserve to be affected by something like this.

“I feel bad about what happened and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to acknowledge it and apologise to everyone who felt bad about what I did.”

Inter Miami said it was working with the investigation but did not name any players.

A club statement issued on Thursday condemned the “altercations”.

“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,” the club said.