The proud members of the Argentina squad which has just won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after a penalty shoot-out victory over the former world champion France, were seen to be engulfed in the grand celebration in the majestic Lusail Stadium with their die-hard travelling fans as well as their loved ones. On the other hand, many could not help but to spot a familiar figure at a strange position during the Argentine triumphs, and the players did not seem pleased about his presence either.
Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, or better known as Salt Bae, who famously became an Internet meme in January 2017, was seen celebrating with La Albiceleste after the winners’ medal and trophy were awarded to the title-winning stars. He took pictures with several members of the team, including team captain and the eventual Golden Ball winner, Lionel Messi, but even La Pulga was surprised to see the 39-year-old on the pitch despite the latter having a VIP pass to the final.
Messi Visited Salt Bae Back in 2018
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner visited Salt Bae’s restaurant in Dubai four years ago, and was embracing the Turkish chef at a moment. Also present during that evening was France midfielder Paul Pogba, and the trio even took a picture together as a memory. These suggested that Messi shares a connection with the famous Internet meme figure but even that does not permit the latter to join Lionel Scaloni’s men to celebrate their third world title. La Pulga was observed irritated when Salt Bae grabbed his arm several times to pose for pictures. Besides, in many viral cringeworthy videos on social media, Salt Bae interacted with other players and oddly attempted to hold the trophy and grab players to pose for pictures, alongside the likes of Ángel Di María and Lisandro Martínez.
FIFA Probed Salt Bae for Unwarranted Access
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In relation to the incident, the governing body of the World Cup, FIFA, has launched an investigation over Salt Bae’s undue access to the pitch after the final was ended. It is in FIFA rules that only tournament winners and FIFA officials and heads of states are allowed to get their hands on the prestigious World Cup trophy, while a spokesman stated that FIFA has been investigating those without warranted permit that got onto the field during the vast celebrations. In other words, the 39-year-old luxury restaurant owner’s eccentric behaviour and actions during his unpermitted access onto the field are likely to be charged with an appropriate internal action by the governing FIFA.
Salt Bae Banned from U. S. Cup
Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 @opencup Final
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) December 20, 2022
Such an unpleasant series of incidents created a ripple effect, in which the officials of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup formally said in a statement that Nusret Gökçe is not permitted to watch the final live next September. The competition had just completed the final qualifying round on Sunday.
Do you think Salt Bae deserves any punishments after what he did last Sunday? Tell us why.
Kylian Mbappé has vowed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup runner-up France will come back stronger in the future: https://www.otherleague.com/worldcup/kylian-mbappe-well-be-back-after-france-lost-to-argentina-in-the-2022-fifa-world-cup-final-in-qatar/
(Photo Credits: talkSPORT)
