After Argentina beat France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, celebrity chef Salt Bae was spotted holding and stroking the trophy. He eagerly took pictures with the shocked Argentina players, including the confused and angry Lionel Messi. Now, FIFA is looking into how Bae obtained “invalid access” to the field.
Messi seems to have tried to avoid unwanted attention, but the Turkish businessman – whose real name is Nusret Gokce – grabbed Leo’s arm twice. He was also observed chewing on another player’s medal when he was photographed alongside Lisandro Martinez and Angel Di Maria.
After his stunt with the world championship trophy, the US Open Cup banned him from the final.
Only players from the world cup winning team, as well as FIFA officials and state leaders, are allowed to hold the trophy. FIFA is looking into how people entered the field illegally following the closing ceremony of Lusail Stadium on December 18. “Appropriate internal action will be taken,” a spokesman told the BBC.
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Upscale eateries owned by Salt Bae include Beverly Hills in Los Angeles and posh Knightsbridge in London. He released a video earlier at the World Cup of him in a match sitting next to Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA. Salt Bae was one of Infantino’s frequent companions in Doha.
Salt Bae was even photographed with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who was in Qatar to watch the world cup final.
Photos and video clips have now emerged showing that Salt Bae is no stranger to Messi.
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In one clip, the Argentinian World Cup hero is seen meeting, chatting and hugging the famous chef in his restaurant. He was also seen posing for the camera alongside Salt Bae. The video is apparently from 2018 around the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
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