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Salt Bae pretends to sprinkle salt on World Cup trophy
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Viral sensation and restauranteur Salt Bae has been banned from the US Open Cup after causing a stir at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
On Sunday, Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe, interrupted the Argentina national football team's celebration to put the spotlight on himself, resulting in massive backlash.
As footballers tried to soak up their winning moment, Gökçe could be seen relentlessly pulling captain Lionel Messi's arm to get a photo, kissing the World Cup trophy, posing with the trophy, and taking videos with other players.
People online mocked Gökçe, claiming the restauranteur's behavior was attention-seeking and obnoxious.
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Now the backlash has led to real-life consequences as the US Open Cup announced Gökçe would not be welcome at their final match.
"Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 @opencup Final," the Open Cup tweeted on Tuesday.
The Open Cup, also known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, is the oldest national soccer competition in the US.
Upon hearing the news, the Chicago Fire Football Club responded with a laugh.
People who felt Gökçe antics were inappropriate for the World Cup, praised the Open Cup for banning him.
Some came to Gökçe's defense, believing the ban was unfair as the restauranteur was likely just expressing his excitement.
But given Salt Bae's reputation online, the ban seems widely accepted.
Gökçe is mostly known for his line of expensive steakhouses around the world calledNusr-Et. In the last few years he's faced criticism online for charging exorbitant prices for his food.
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