One-Time Internet Celebrity Tried His Gimmick at the World Cup, Gets Brutal Notification from US Sports League
“Salt Bae” can forget about showing his face at next year’s U.S Open Cup.
The Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gokce netted a one-year ban from the American tournament for his actions in the aftermath of the World Cup final earlier this month.
Gokce managed to obtain access to the pitch at Lusail Stadium in Qatar after Argentina’s finals victory over France, according to Sports Illustrated.
The chef — most known for a viral internet meme involving him sprinkling salts on cooked meats — attempted to recreate his 15 minutes of fame on the pitch, “salting” the World Cup trophy as if it were a kebab on the grill.
Argentina’s Lisandro Martínez appeared hesitant to let the celebrity chef use the trophy to recreate the Salt Bae meme.
He smiled awkwardly and held the object as Gokce attempted to take it from his hand.
FIFA is actively investigating how Gokce managed to get on the field — a development considered a breach of tournament protocol.
WATCH: #BNNQatar Reports.
FIFA has opened an investigation into how Salt Bae, a Turkish celebrity chef, gained access to the pitch to join Argentinian players for their World Cup celebrations in Qatar.#Qatar #FIFAWorldCup2022 #Football pic.twitter.com/6XS7SziQi5
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 23, 2022
The actual World Cup trophy is subject to specific FIFA rules, which state that it “can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state,” according to Sports Illustrated.
Salt Bae interacted with Argentina players in a manner that was seemingly harassing, even attempting two different times to take a picture with Lionel Messi by grabbing the captain’s arm.
He’s a dive pic.twitter.com/O8QxDXUyBx
— Mark. UTFR🍻🇾🇪 (@Mark1975s) December 21, 2022
The organizers of the U.S Open Cup announced his conduct had merited a ban from the 2023 tournament final — although it’s not clear how serious they are about actually banning the celebrity.
Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 @opencup Final
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) December 20, 2022
The one-shot celebrity’s conduct didn’t escape the mockery of some soccer fans on the internet.
Salt Bae when Argentina won the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/ztpjJYBVRn
— Barstool Football (@StoolFootball) December 19, 2022
In any event, it’s unlikely the Turkish citizen was planning on showing up at the American soccer tournament next year.
So while the ban makes for a nice piece of internet justice, there’s no real indication that Salt Bae is going to pay a price for his attention-seeking behavior — as of yet.
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