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Turkish Chef Nusret Gökçe
The Turkish chef, Nusrat Gökçe, sparked a great controversy on social media around the world after he went to the grounds of Lusail Stadium during the crowning of the Argentine national team as world champions in Qatar 2022.
And the Turkish chef appeared carrying and kissing the golden cup and taking pictures with the Argentine players, in complete disregard for FIFA rules, and in violation of tournament protocols.
The International Federation of Football
This incident prompted the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) to open an investigation into how he got onto the field.
FIFA announced that it would take “appropriate internal measures” to address breaches of protocol by the famous Turkish chef.
A FIFA spokesperson was quoted by media as saying, “Nosrat’s entry to the pitch is not authorized,” as FIFA rules state that only World Cup winners and heads of state are allowed to touch the trophy during the closing ceremony.
He added, “After reviewing the incident, the federation is working to find out how individuals entered the stadium unjustified after the closing ceremony at Lusail Stadium on December 18, and appropriate action will be taken.”
US Open Cup
And not only the International Federation of Football, but the supervisors of the US Open Football Championship announced that the Turkish chef was banned from attending the final of the tournament that will be held in the United States in 2023.
And the official account of the tournament published a tweet in which it said: “Chef Nusrat, known as “Salt Bay”, is prohibited from attending the final of the 2023 tournament.
Chef Nusrat
The Turkish chef became the talk of social media globally, after the cameras caught him desperately trying to take a picture of him with the World Cup and the Argentine national team players.
This situation sparked great rejection on social media, as some asked why he was in this area in the first place, taking pictures with players, and even carrying the cup.
Tweeters described the actions of the Turkish chef at the closing ceremony of the World Cup as “hateful”, stressing that his actions were the beginning of the end for his restaurants.
For his part, Muhammad Mahrous said: “What Chef Nusrat al-Turki did, when he went to the stadium and carried the original copy of the cup and photographed it with the players, is disgusting and provocative.”
On the other hand, many defended the Turkish chef, despite some criticism.
Baraa said: “Chef Nusrat is a very successful person, and he does not need Messi or anyone else to prove his fame. On the contrary, all the world’s famous people come to his restaurant to take pictures with him, and Messi himself has a video of him in his restaurant.
For his part, the player and member of the board of directors of the former Al-Jahra Club, and the official agent of FC Barcelona in the Middle East, Nayef Jaber, said: “The cup, after the delivery, becomes the custody and management of the winning team, so the management of this team has the right to invite whoever it wants to take pictures with the players and with the cup after the end of the coronation ceremony.” This explains the entry of Chef Nusrat.
He added, “By the way, my dear Lebanese friend Samir Shamkha, a close friend of Messi and his family, was among those present at the stadium.”
On the other hand, others criticized FIFA.
Ahmed said, “FIFA is witnessing objections to Turkish chef Nusrat going to the stadium, carrying the championship cup, and taking pictures.”
He added, “Inventino himself hosted Nusrat before the final and introduced him to many personalities, in addition to Nusrat carrying the VVIP signals.”
Messi and Nasrat
Chef Nusrat published a picture of him with Argentine star Lionel Messi through his official account on Instagram, after the Argentine team was crowned.
However, with the end of the tournament, activists began publishing videos showing Messi’s disregard for the Turkish chef, despite his insistence on taking a picture of him with the best player in the tournament.
This sparked the ridicule of many on social media.
Chef Nasrat responded to his critics, and republished an old video of them, showing Messi coming to shake hands with him and take a picture with him.