Who Is Gene Ramirez, Involved in Luis Suarez Spitting Incident? Know Everything About Seattle Sounders FC’s Key Staff Member

The 2025 Leagues Cup final was supposed to be all about Seattle Sounders lifting their first title, with goals from Osaze De Rosario, Alex Roldan, and Paul Rothrock in front of a record crowd of 69,314 at Lumen Field. But instead of celebrating on the pitch, all eyes turned elsewhere: Luis Suarez found himself in a heated confrontation with Seattle’s security chief, Gene Ramirez. Fans are talking, critics are buzzing, and disciplinary action looks almost certain.  So, who exactly is Gene Ramirez, the man suddenly caught in the middle of this chaos?

Ramirez is the Sounders’ Director of Security and Player Relocation, responsible for keeping players and staff safe on and off the field. Normally, he’s the guy working quietly behind the scenes, but after the final whistle, he was thrust into the spotlight during an incident no one expected. So, what really went down between him and Suarez?

Chaos erupts after the final whistle

The match ended with Seattle’s 3-0 victory over Inter Miami, but tensions escalated afterward. Even the drama didn’t wait for the final whistle in the 2025 Leagues Cup final. Frustrated by the defeat, Luis Suarez confronted Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas, even putting him in a headlock. Sounders players rushed in to pull him away, but chaos quickly spread. Players and staff from both sides got involved: Inter Miami’s Sergio Busquets reportedly threw a punch at Vargas, Maxi Falcon grabbed Seattle’s Cody Baker in a headlock, and Tomas Aviles swung at Jackson Ragen. Amid the melee, Suarez locked eyes with Gene Ramirez, Seattle Sounders’ head of security and player relocation.

The two exchanged a heated argument right on the touchline. Video footage on X by @TUDNMEX shows Suarez spitting at Ramirez while being restrained by Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari and a Sounders staff member. Ramirez recoiled, showing just how serious the confrontation was.  It was captioned as, “Regrettable! Luis Suárez spits at a member of the Seattle Sounders coaching staff .”

Coaches weighed in cautiously. Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano said, “I don’t have anything to say because I was far from the acts that happened and didn’t really see. Obviously you never like this type of thing, but if there was a reaction, possibly there was also instigation.”

Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer added, “Unfortunately, that is going to take some of the attention away from a great performance by the Seattle Sounders. Their players were frustrated and that led to some things happening on the field that shouldn’t happen. The story of the game is not what happened after the game.”

Can Luis Suarez face suspension?

The Leagues Cup disciplinary committee is reviewing the incident, and Luis Suarez could face serious penalties. According to Leagues Cup and MLS rules, Luis Suarez could face a multi-game suspension for spitting at Gene Ramirez, as such behavior falls under violent or unsporting conduct governed by FIFA regulations, which both MLS and the Leagues Cup follow.

While the exact length of the suspension is yet to be determined, similar incidents in Major League Soccer have resulted in suspensions ranging from one to two matches. For instance, Minnesota United’s Mason Toye received a two-match suspension and a fine for spitting at an opponent in 2019, and Real Salt Lake’s Jasper Loffelsend was suspended for one match with an additional match held in abeyance for a similar offense in 2023

While attention has focused on him, Gene Ramirez played a critical role in managing the chaos. During the post-match melee, Ramirez actively worked to defuse the confrontation, separating aggressive players and preventing the situation from escalating further. Video footage shows him being verbally confronted and even spat at by Suarez. Despite the intense circumstances, Ramirez’s responsibility remained safety and containment, not retaliation.

The whole incident quickly hit the news, bringing back those memories of Luis Suarez’s old scandals, like when he bit Branislav Ivanovic and Giorgio Chiellini, which got him banned before. On the field, Seattle didn’t just win, they dominated 3-0 and locked in a direct spot for the round of 16 in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.

Inter Miami, on the other hand, will have to start their journey a little earlier as the runners-up. Believe it or not, this is already Seattle’s ninth major trophy since they joined MLS back in 2009. But instead of basking in celebration, all anyone’s talking about is the chaos that broke out after the final whistle.