Salt Bae broke FIFA’s rules by holding the World Cup

Qatar: Nusret Gokce – aka Salt Bae – has been criticised after breaking the golden FIFA rule while appearing on the pitch following the World Cup final recently.

The Turkish chef was seen on the pitch after Argentina secured a win against France in what was a nail-biting final.

Following the match, Salt Bae was seen on the pitch alongside Argentina players, and he even held the World Cup trophy, a move which is against FIFA rules.

The 18-carat gold trophy is estimated to be worth around US $20 million (AED73m) and FIFA’s website states only winners of the World Cup and heads of state are meant to touch it.

“The original FIFA World Cup Trophy 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,” FIFA says.

The chef took several photos with the trophy – including a photo with one of the players’ medals in his mouth – before uploading them onto social media.

And people on Instagram were pretty shocked at the move, with one person writing: “You shouldn’t have touch the cup bro, only the champions, their family and staff who have worked hard have the right to be on the ground with the cup.

“And how dare you bite a champion’s medal in your mouth. Shame on you!”

While another said: “Bro. How did you even get on the field?”

And a third added: “That World Cup is SACRED and should NEVER be touched by anyone other than those who have EARNED it – players, their parents, coaches, staff, maybe FIFA executives and great legends of the past from countries who aren’t strong enough to win.”

Meanwhile a fourth commented: “Why u are holding it and why u are on the field? U shouldn’t be there. This is the time for players who have worked hard and not for celebrities to hang around and take selfies for their own promo.”

A fifth added, “Players train their hole life for moments like this and people without any connection with the sport just have the privilege to go there and try to get all the attention.”
Source: Agencies