Lionel Messi has been given a major incentive to finally move to the United States - because he won't have to deal with Salt Bae.
If you somehow haven't heard of him, Salt Bae - real name Nusret Gokce - is the enigmatic chef who somehow got in with the Argentina team on Sunday as they celebrated winning 2022 World Cup following a pulsating penalty shootout victory over France in Qatar.
Having gone viral in January 2017 for his unique technique for preparing and seasoning meat, Salt Bae's social standing has skyrocketed and he owns a chain of luxury steakhouses under the name of Nusr-Et which constantly attract celebrities. But he wasn't well liked by football fans when he awkwardly joined the Argentina players on the pitch at Lusail Stadium - and it's prompted another tournament's organisers to hilariously ban him.
The US Open Cup, the oldest ongoing football competition in the United States which pits around 100 teams from various levels against one another every season, has confirmed it won't be allowing the 39-year-old Turkish foodie at their 2023 final.
In a tweet which garnered more than 130,000 likes within approximately 36 hours of posting, the tournament's official Twitter account bluntly wrote: "Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 Open Cup Final." Fans joked in the replies section, with MLS giants Chicago Fire even saying "lol" in a response.
Have your say! Does Salt Bae deserve to be banned? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Salt Bae may well already be regretting his actions at the World Cup, as he received criticism from around the world. In a series of videos which were posted on his own Instagram page, the steakhouse honcho awkwardly interrupted players such as Angel Di Maria, Cristian Romero - who had his one-year-old son with him - and Lisandro Martinez while they posed with the famous trophy.
Then it was Messi's turn to cringe, as footage emerged of Salt Bae trying to get the Argentina captain's attention amid the jubilation, repeatedly putting his hand on his arm and pleading for a reluctant handshake. Messi - who's long been linked with a transfer to David Beckham 's MLS side, Inter Miami - clearly wasn't interested in pleasantries and continued to walk away and leave the chef looking humiliated.
It turns out that Salt Bae even broke the official World Cup rules in relation to who's allowed to touch the trophy. "Its current design dates back to 1974," an extract on FIFA 's website reads. "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."
TalkSPORT co-host Simon Jordan was among those slamming him and FIFA, declaring: 'It's ridiculous. It's a ridiculous look... It defies convention, it breaks protocol. It looks like cronyism, it smells like cronyism, it walks and talks like cronyism, so guess what it is? It's bleeding cronyism. It's unprofessional. There's no place for him. He shouldn't have been on the pitch."
Get yourself to the US, Simon.
