Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez will be suspended for the club's crunch MLS playoff clash with Nashville this weekend after kicking out in their last game.
The Urguay international has been a key player for Javier Mascherano's side this season, notching 17 goals in all competitions up to this point, but he will be unavailable for their win-or-go-home crunch tie at Chase Stadium on Saturday after an incident in their game last week.
With Inter Miami 2-0 down, Suarez was seen kicking out at defender Andy Najar unprovoked as he made a run to the back post late in the second half. A foul was given, but after a VAR review, no red card was issued, and play continued. The game ended 2-1, with Lionel Messi scoring late, and the teams will now meet in a third game of their best-of-three series to see who progresses to the next round.
But once again, Suarez's conduct will see him miss the crunch clash, and it will be the 35th time in his career that he is forced to miss games due to suspension.
Luis Suarez Suspended for 35th Time in His Career
luis suarez inter miami
Despite the lack of VAR intervention, the MLS Disciplinary Committee can step in post-match to issue fines and suspensions under certain circumstances, including when a referee sees an incident and does not issue a card, such as this incident.
This is the first in a long list of historic violent conduct for the legendary former Liverpool and Barcelona striker, who has been suspended three times in his career for biting opponents. The 38-year-old will now serve the 35th suspension of his illustrious career this weekend.
Luis Suarez Career Suspensions
Reason
Red Card
Yellow Cards
Sports Court Charges
Indirect
Suarez was previously suspended earlier this season for spitting at a Seattle Sounders staff member for three MLS games, with a future six-game ban in the MLS Leagues Cup also incurred for the incident.
Most infamously, the striker was suspended for eight games by the FA for racially abusing Manchester United star Patrice Evra in 2011, although he denied the charges. He also bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during the 2010 World Cup, having previously been suspended for biting Chelsea star Branislav Ivanovic during his Liverpool career.