Inter Miami forward Luis Suárez has been suspended for the final match of the Round 1 MLS playoff best-of-three series against Nashville SC. This suspension arises from an incident where Suárez kicked Nashville’s Andy Nájar during the second half of the match on November 1 at Geodis Park, where Inter Miami suffered a 2-1 defeat. Notably, the referee did not issue any cards for the incident at the time. According to a statement from the MLS Disciplinary Committee, “Luis Suárez of Inter Miami CF has been suspended for one match and fined an undisclosed amount under Disciplinary Committee Parameter 3 for violent conduct in the 71st minute of the match against Nashville SC on November 1st. Suárez’s one-match suspension will be served on November 8 during Miami’s upcoming game against Nashville SC.” Major League Soccer rules permit postgame disciplinary actions when match officials fail to issue a card for an offense committed during the game. This marks Suárez’s second suspension in MLS action in 2025, following a previous three-game ban for spitting on a member of the Seattle Sounders’ staff after the Leagues Cup final on August 31. In response to the suspension, Inter Miami CF stated, “We accept and respect the decision made by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. However, we express our concern over the precedent set by re-refereeing a play that had already been adjudicated by match officials and VAR. We trust that a consistent standard will be applied to all on-field situations in future matches, regardless of the teams involved.” With Suárez’s absence, Inter Miami will head into the pivotal final game of the playoff series determined to advance to the next round. The series is currently tied 1-1, following a victory in the first game and a loss in the second.
