Turkish commentator fired for mentioning World Cup hero’s name during game

After mentioning the name of Hakan Sukur on air, a Turkish commentator was fired by the state network midway through a World Cup match.

Alper Bakircigil was commentating on Morocco’s game against Canada on Thursday on TRT when the surprising incident occured. Hakim Ziyech gave the Atlas Lions the lead after just four minutes, prompting Bakircigil to talk about the fastest goal scored in World Cup history.

Sukur of Turkey currently owns that mark after scoring after only 11 seconds against South Korea in the 2002 World Cup third-place play-off match. Although true, the fact didn’t sit well with his bosses, and when the game resumed for the second half, Bakircigil was replaced by a colleague.

Alper Bakircigil was commentating on Morocco’s game against Canada. Photo: Twitter

Bakircigil wrote in a now-deleted tweet: “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..”

Sukur, one of Turkey’s most well-known footballers, has 51 goals in 112 international games. However, it is his post-retirement behaviour that has made him a contentious figure in Turkey.

Sukur entered politics after working as a pundit for the public broadcaster TRT after retiring. He joined the Justice and Development Party, which is currently in power and is led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

However, he continued to be close to Fethullah Gulen, a prominent preacher, and later publicly criticised Erdogan on social media. A failed attempt at overthrowing Erdogan’s government in July 2016 was attributed to followers of Gulen, known as Gulenists.

In the aftermath, Sukur refused to denounce Gulen and saw his life fall apart. He managed to flee to the United States and started working as an Uber driver. If he were to return to Turkey he would face charges of insulting the president and rebelling against the government – charges which would be punished with life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

Hakan Sukur in action for Turkey against South Korea at the 2002 World Cup.

“I have nothing left. Erdogan took everything: my right to freedom, my right to freedom of speech and my right to work,” he told German news outlet Welt Am Sonntag in 2020. “I never did anything illegal. I am not a traitor or a terrorist.

“I might be an enemy [of] this government, but not the state or the Turkish nation. I love my country.

“After the split with Erdogan, I started to receive threats. My wife’s shop was attacked, my children were harassed, my father put in prison and all my assets confiscated.

“So I moved to the United States, initially running a cafe in California, but strange people kept coming into the bar. Now I drive for Uber and I sell books.”