This is the moment celebrity chef Salt Bae snatched the World Cup trophy from a winner’s baby after pestering Lionel Messi for a selfie.
FIFA were today facing questions about why the restaurateur was allowed onto the pitch after embarrassing scenes at the final of the showpiece, The Sun reports.
Gary Lineker called Salt Bae a “blight” and former FA chairman Greg Dyke took on world football boss Gianni Infantino as fury grew around the world.
The Turkish chef and Instagram star – real name Nusret Gökçe – was spotted wearing a FIFA VIP badge around his neck on Sunday night.
Footage shows him upsetting the Argentina national team as they celebrated their World Cup glory with their families after the shooting.
He was seen grabbing Lionel Messi by the shoulder at least twice as the bewildered megastar tried to get away from him.
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Bae’s persistence paid off when he finally took a selfie with the striker hailed as the greatest of all time.
The chef was also seen forcing himself to join other stars as they picked up the famous gold trophy.
At one point he was seen taking it away from Lisandro Martínez, who gave an awkward backward glance at the strange interruption.
Gökçe also pretended to do his typical trick of sprinkling salt on the trophy as irritated players stood by.
In another clip, Salt Bae is seen shaking his finger in a scolding gesture when Cristian Romero’s baby tried to touch the trophy.
Instead, the chef pulled it out, kissed it, and lifted it over his head like a champ.
He also posted a series of swaggering photos on his Instagram page, showing him kissing and kissing the 18-carat gold trophy.
The embarrassing spectacle reportedly broke FIFA rules, which say only former winners and heads of state can handle the $30 million prize.
BBC host Gary Lineker shared footage of her attention seeking, saying: “It’s a plague.”
Greg Dyke said: “I don’t think Fifa and Infantino have come out of this very well.”
FIFA has reportedly refused to say whether Salt Bae was granted access to the pitch.
If he was given “access to all areas” accreditation, that would open the governing body to allegations of cronyism or special treatment for Infantino’s friends, The Times reports.
Gökçe is said to be friends with controversial FIFA boss Infantino, who hailed him as “number one” after visiting his Qatari brasserie during the tournament.
“Football unites the world and Nusret also unites the world,” Infantino said.
Infantino was also filmed salting himself in a cringe-worthy video at Gökçe’s restaurant in Dubai in 2020.
Salt Bae even made his mark on the trophy. Photo: Instagram Source: Instagram Salt Bae gave the trophy a big kiss after winning it. Photo: InstagramSource: Instagram
Other VIP guests at the finale included Twitter billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
And French President Emmanuel Macron was criticized for his embarrassing attempts to console missing treble hero Kylian Mbappe.
The chef was slammed on Twitter as “pathetic” for his attention-seeking antics, which were also described as the “creepiest thing ever”.
“The man just won the World Cup literally minutes before and this ‘celebrity’ feels entitled to get his attention,” said one Twitter user.
“You shouldn’t touch the Cup. You are not a champion”, was a second comment.
Another furious Instagram user said he was “unfollowing” the Turkish chef.
Gianni Infantino (left) is a big fan of Salt Bae. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You should not have touched this trophy only the players and staff who have worked hard to become champions have that right.
“You just want attention.”
Continuing the theme, one post said: “This is the time for the players who have worked hard and not for the celebrities to stick around and take selfies for their own promotion.”
Salt Bae isn’t the only celebrity to fail FIFA etiquette.
Rihanna was photographed with the award in 2014 and later revealed that she had kissed and posed for a selfie with the famous trophy.
Salt Bae rose to fame in 2017 when a video of him lovingly preparing a steak by theatrically sprinkling a handful of salt crystals quickly went viral.
Nusret then became a celebrity in her own right, cooking for the likes of David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio and DJ Khaled.
He opened his first steakhouse Nusr-Et in Istanbul in 2010.
– This article originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished with permission.