Salt Bae has been banned from the US Open Cup after World Cup antics saw him face the ire of football fans around the world.
The viral celebrity chef Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gökçe, has managed to get banned from the oldest football tournament in America.
Yesterday (Wednesday, December 21), the US Open Cup tweeted: "Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 @opencup Final."
So don’t expect the restaurateur to make the trip to the Land of Opportunity anytime soon.
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It comes after the chef caused a commotion at the World Cup final.
While Argentina was on their victory lap after defeating France 4-2, the Turkish salt sprinkler somehow made it onto the pitch as players were seen celebrating with their families.
Salt Bae even approached the man of the moment, Lionel Messi, for a quick snap.
While the Turkish butcher was wearing his signature sunnies, he tapped Messi on the shoulder - who turned around briefly but was having none of it and shrugged him off.
As the celebrations ramped up, the footballer was being bombarded with photo requests; it would have been the perfect time to exit.
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However, not taking the hint, Salt Bae continued to pester Messi and ultimately managed to get a picture with him, sharing it on his Instagram with his 49.8 million followers.
The 39-year-old also posed with Angel di Maria, Leandro Paredes, Nicolas Otamendi, Paulo Dybala, Alexis Mac Allister and many other squad members.
Salt Bae even touched the 18-carat gold World Cup trophy, said to be worth a jaw-dropping £17.7 million (AUD $31.8m or USD $21.3m).
According to the FIFA World Cup, only a 'select few' can touch the trophy, including former winners and heads of state.
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Many football fans were left outraged, as one person tweeted: “This is ridiculous, shame on FIFA for allowing him to touch, kiss, and hold the World Cup. Salt Bae drops salt on meat, what is he doing there?"
Another said: "Everything about this Salt Bae's Instagram is cringy as hell but the videos he's posted from the pitch are just awful. He basically is trying to wrestle the trophy away from Lisandro Martinez in one of them.”
While a third commented: "Salt Bae touching the World Cup Trophy. Like anyone can just touch it please make it stop."
Salt Bae, maybe just stick to seasoning overpriced cuts of steak for now.
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SPORTbible have reached out to the US Open Cup for comment.
Topics: Football, Lionel Messi, Argentina, Football World Cup