On Thursday afternoon, a Turkish commentator was fired during half-time of Morocco’s World Cup Group F match against Canada.
Alper Bakircigil was covering Morocco vs Canada game for Turkish broadcasters TRT. When Hakim Ziyech gave Morocco the lead in the fourth minute of the game, the commentator informed his viewers that the Chelsea star’s goal was not the fastest in the world cup, mentioning that Hakan Sukur holds the record for the fastest world cup goal ever scored.
However, this did not seem to go down well with his bosses as he got replaced during the first half break and was later fired.
On Twitter, the commentator posted a goodbye message. The tweet that has since been deleted read (as quoted by Tuttosprt via Goal):
“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..”
The reason for the sacking is said to be the mentioning of Hakan Sukur’s name on Turkish television.
Sukur was a major star in Turkey during his career, scoring 51 goals in 112 appearances. The former Inter Milan and Galatasary striker scored the fastest goal in the history of the tournament scoring just after 11 seconds into the game during the 2002 World Cup.
However, after retiring, he joined politics and was later linked to terrorism. He and his family fled to the United States of America after being accused of playing a key role in Turkey’s failed coup attempt in 2016.