Turkish restaurateur and viral celebrity, Nusret Gökçe (aka Salt Bae), has been banned from the upcoming Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in America.
The USA’s oldest domestic tournament made the announcement on social media with a tweet on Wednesday that read,
Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 US Open Cup Final
Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 @opencup Final
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) December 20, 2022
The Turkish butcherwas expelled from the prestigious tournament for his irritating antics during Argentina’s World Cup-winning celebration that caused quite a commotion at the World Cup final at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday.
The ‘human salt shaker’ pestered Argentine players like Angel di Maria, Leandro Paredes, Nicolas Otamendi, Paulo Dybala, Alexis Mac Allister, and many others for selfies and photos while they were celebrating with their families.
The glorified ‘steak seasoner’ approached Argentina’s superstar, Lionel Messi, for a quick selfie and kept tapping him on the shoulder. Messi, who was having none of it, shrugged him off.
However, the Turkish chef’s annoying persistence paid off when Messi begrudgingly posed for a quick picture. Clearly, he didn’t look too pleased.
The annoying chef got under the skin of football fans around the world for his antics. They were outraged to see him casually touching and holding the 18-carat gold World Cup trophy, which is said to be worth an astounding $21.3 million.
Note that FIFA World Cup only allows ‘select few’ to touch the trophy. This includes former World Cup winners and heads of state. People rightly criticized FIFA for allowing some random outdated social media celebrity to get his hands on the prestigious trophy.
Salt Bae is currently being trolled on social media for his actions. Perhaps he should just stick to seasoning overpriced steaks for now.
