Hakim Ziyech’s Goal Gets Commentator Sacked During Morocco Vs Canada World Cup Match
When Ziyech chipped the ball over Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan to give Morocco a fourth-minute lead in their final group game, commentator Alper Bakircigil, working for Turkish state TV TRT, informed viewers that it was not the fastest goal ever scored at the World Cup but that honour fell to former Turkey international Hakan Sukur.
With that pronouncement, Bakircigil had committed a ‘crime’ since in Turkey, the name of the former Inter Milan and Parma striker is forbidden due to his political differences with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mentioning those two words saw him sacked on the spot and at half-time, he as replaced by a colleague for the rest of the match.
“I was kicked out of TRT, where I proudly worked for many years, after the event that took place today. Parting is part of love. Hope to see you again. Goodbye,” Bakircigil said via a Twitter post that has since been deleted, as quoted by Tuttosprt.
Former Galatasaray striker Sakur holds the record for the fastest-ever goal scored at the World Cup, netting after just 11 seconds at the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.
Sukur played 112 times for Turkey, scoring 51 goals to become his country’s leading scorer. After football he ventured into politics, becoming one of Erdogan’s fiercest critics and it cost him his freedom in the country as he was forced into exile to the United States in 2017.
Ziyech’s goal set the tone for Morocco’s 2-1 win as they finished as group winners and will face Spain in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
