World Cup commentator was sacked in the middle of game for saying 'forbidden name'
The suspension of a Turkish commentator being taken off the air at the 2026 World Cup is a repeat of a similar situation which happened in the 2022 showpiece.
TRT, who are providing coverage of the tournament, announced that experienced broadcaster Murat Ekrem Cimen had been suspended for the entirety of the event.
The decision, considered harsh by many, came after he mixed up Iran and New Zealand on multiple occasions during the 2-2 draw at the SoFi Stadium on Tuesday.
Clips of the mistakes Cimen made emerged on social media and TRT put out a statement where they confirmed the experienced broadcaster was taken off the air after errors which were "unacceptable according to TRT broadcasting standards".
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It means that for the second consecutive World Cup, a Turkish broadcaster has faced severe punishment.
In 2022, Alper Bakircigil was also given the boot by TRT while he was calling the game between Morocco and Canada.
He was sacked by his employers at half-time of the fixture and it was widely reported that his dismissal came as a result of him mentioning two 'forbidden words' in the first half.
Bakircigil mentioned the name of Hakan Sukur, Turkey's record goalscorer and the player who scored the quickest goal in World Cup history with a strike 11 seconds into the third place play-off against South Korea.
Sukur, who played for Galatasaray, Inter Milan and Blackburn Rovers, netted 51 times in 112 games for his country.
But he ended up becoming an extremely controversial figure in Turkey, to the point that Bakircigil was sacked at half-time for bringing up his name.
Issuing a statement on X, he wrote: “I was cut off from the TRT institution, where I worked proudly for many years, after the event that took place today. Separation is included in love. Hope to see you again. Goodbye.”
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After retirement, Sukur embarked on a stint in politics and was later accused of being involved in terrorism and a failed coup attempt on the government from the Fethullah Gulen movement.
He denied that claim but had his assets seized and was the subject of an arrest warrant.
Sukur moved to the United States, where he owned a cafe, worked as an Uber driver and set up a football school in Palo Alto, California.
On exile, he was left unable to return to Turkey and in an interview about his situation, told German news outlet Welt Am Sonntag: “I have nothing left. (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan took everything: my right to freedom, my right to freedom of speech and my right to work."
He added: “I never did anything illegal. I am not a traitor or a terrorist.”
Sukur has had honours revoked, including an honorary doctorate at a Turkish university. He was also expelled from club membership with former club Galatasaray, who also censored him out in photos and videos related to their UEFA Cup in 2000.
On the 20th anniversary, Galatasaray omitted Sukur from all content related to the triumph - with his penalty in the shoot-out not featured.
In response to his snub, Sukur wrote: "The time will come when I will tell the real story of this cup we proudly won and under what circumstances it was won. Let me tell this to the cowards who failed to mention the name of someone who scored the highest number of goals in the struggle to win the cup. History is written once, and it was we who wrote it.”
Topics: Turkey, FIFA World Cup
Josh Lawless