Blacklisted World Cup record holder 'appears' at game as name shown on screen
A World Cup record holder who has been blacklisted made a rare appearance and had his name on the screen at Turkey's defeat to Paraguay.
Turkey were eliminated from the World Cup after just two matches after a 1-0 loss to 10-man Paraguay at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, with Matias Galarza scoring the only goal of the game two minutes in.
That was despite Miguel Almiron becoming the first player to be shown a red card for breaking FIFA's newly introduced law when he covered his mouth in a confrontation with an opponent.
But the fixture was also significant as it marked the surprise return of Turkey's record goalscorer Hakan Sukur, who now lives in the Bay Area where the clash took place after being exiled.
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Sukur scored 51 times in 112 games for Turkey and starred at the 2002 showpiece, when the team finished in third-place after a fine run.
In the third place play-off, Sukur scored 11 seconds into the third place play-off win over South Korea and it remains the quickest goal in World Cup history.
But after retiring, the former Galatasaray, Inter Milan and Blackburn Rovers star became involved in politics.
READ MORE: World Cup commentator was sacked in the middle of game for saying 'forbidden name'
He was later accused of being involved in terrorism and a failed coup attempt on the government from the Fethullah Gulen movement.
Despite denying any involvement, Turkish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in 2016 and seized his assets.
By this point he had already fled to the United States and settled in Northern California, owning cafe, working as an Uber driver and setting up a football school.
World Cup record holder was scared to attend Turkey's game
He and his family have been unable return to Turkey and when his name was mentioned by a TRT broadcaster at the 2022 World Cup, the commentator was sacked at half-time.
Ironically the nation's second World Cup game was right on his doorstep. As per the San Francisco Standard, Sukur decided against attending over fears members of Turkey's security and intelligence agency would be present.
His wife took his daughters and he posted a picture from the game despite watching at home in Silicon Valley alongside reporter Metin Yikar for the TR724 YouTube channel.
In addition, Sukur's name also appeared twice on the big screen at the Levi's Stadium.
That came courtesy of FIFA's new 'Super shoutout' feature where fans can pay £59.
Guidelines have to be followed, with FIFA explaining: "Your on-screen name and shoutout must follow our guidelines (no offensive or misleading content). By placing this order you accept how your message may be shown during the broadcast, and you confirm you have read our terms and conditions and privacy notice."
It appears as though no one at FIFA was aware of the significant of Sukur's name getting a mentioned.
He has had an honorary doctorate at a Turkish university revoked and expelled from club membership at Galatasaray.
Galatasaray also censored him out in content related to their UEFA Cup win in 2000, including omitting his penalty in the shoot-out win over Arsenal.
Sukur was once a national hero to the point that his wedding was streamed live in the country but he has now found refuge in the Bay Area.
Topics: FIFA World Cup
Josh Lawless