As the Argentine stars were celebrating their triumph of a lifetime, winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the pitch, Turkish chef Salt Bae, originally named Nusret Gokce, was seen trying to get a hold of the trophy. He also took a selfie with Argentina captain Lionel Messi and even managed to pose with the World Cup trophy.
Salt Bae’s actions caused confusion among fans and even the governing body, FIFA, was left baffled as they wondered how he got permission to enter the pitch.
Sergio Aguero, who was registered as one of La Albiceleste’s assistant coaches, was also on the field celebrating his country’s crowning moment.
The Manchester City legend was forced into an untimely retirement last season after suffering health issues. While he wasn’t a part of Argentina’s squad in Qatar, Aguero still shared a deep bond with his teammates. He enjoyed every bit of the historic moment with Messi and co.
Aguero recently revealed his reactions to Salt Bae intruding on Argentina’s celebrations after the 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph. He wrote on a blog for Stake:
“I saw the comments on social media several days later. I didn’t even realise then. Not even a few hours later. We were celebrating for something many years in the making for us – we were far too deep into it to notice.”
The success in Qatar marked an end to Argentina’s 36-year-long drought in the World Cup. While it was certainly the crowning moment of Lionel Messi’s legendary career, the win was rather a team effort from La Albiceleste.
The enthralling final against France arguably made the victory even sweeter. Hence, why Aguero and other Argentine stars might not have noticed Gokce’s presence on the field is understandable.
The governing body issued a statement after Salt Bae’s undue presence in the FIFA World Cup final
Salt Bae’s actions forced the governing body, FIFA, to issue a statement and they promised to take internal action on the matter. Here’s what the statement, issued after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup, read (via ESPN):
“Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail stadium on Dec. 18, The appropriate internal action will be taken.”