FIFA has been forced to make a humiliating admission about Salt Bae crashing the World Cup final.
It said the famous chef, who was pictured pestering Argentinian players after their win against France should not have been on the pitch.
The Turkish cook and Instagram star – real name Nusret Gökçe – was seen trying to get a selfie with the players and even touch the winning trophy- against strict regulations.
According to FIFA’S guidelines, only World Cup winners and heads of state are allowed to touch the trophy.
It states on its website “As one of the most recognised sports symbols in the world and a priceless icon, 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.”
Now FIFA is conducting an internal investigation to see how the chef got onto the pitch as he has no commercial relationship with FIFA and was not invited onto the pitch by Gianni Infantino Sky Sports News reports.
A spokesperson for FIFA said: “Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail Stadium on 18 December. The appropriate internal action will be taken.”
Footage showed the chef pestering the Argentina squad as they celebrated their cup glory with their families after the nailbiting shootout.
He was seen grabbing hold of Lionel Messi by the shoulder at least twice as the baffled megastar tried to shrug him off.
Bae’s persistence paid off as he finally got a selfie with the striker hailed the greatest of all time.
The chef was also seen forcing himself into lineups with other stars as they clutched the famous golden trophy.
He has now been barred from attending The US Open Cup, the equivalent of England’s FA Cup.
Action will be taken against staff who allowed him access after social media footage showed his cringeworthy exchanges with players including Lionel Messi, who did his best to avoid Salt Bae.
In a series of videos posted on his own Instagram, the steakhouse magnate interrupted the likes of Angel di Maria, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez as they posed with the World Cup, leaving the trio looking awkward.
Salt Bae’s actions sparked fury among football fans.
It comes after he was banned from attending a US sporting event after his behavior at the final.
The US Open Cup tweeted: “Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 US Open Cup final.”
The US Open Cup is a knockout competition featuring teams from the MLS as well as other domestic tournaments.
It’s not known whether Salt Bae had the 2023 event on his radar.
But now the decision has been taken out of his hands by the tournament chiefs.
