Blacklisted World Cup record holder ‘shows up’ at game with name on the screen
A World Cup record holder who has been blacklisted made a rare appearance and had his name shown on the screen during Turkey’s loss to Paraguay.
Turkey was knocked out of the World Cup after just two matches, losing 1-0 to a 10-man Paraguay at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Matias Galarza scored the only goal very early, just two minutes into the game.
The match was also notable because Miguel Almiron became the first player to get a red card under FIFA’s new rule when he covered his mouth during a confrontation.
But the game was extra special because Turkey’s top goal scorer, Hakan Sukur, made a surprising connection to the event. Now living in the Bay Area after being exiled, Sukur’s name even appeared on the big screen at the stadium.
Sukur scored 51 goals in 112 games for Turkey and was a star at the 2002 World Cup, where Turkey finished third. He holds the record for the fastest goal in World Cup history, scoring just 11 seconds into the third-place match against South Korea.
After retiring, Sukur got involved in politics. Later, he was accused of being linked to terrorism and a failed coup attempt from the Fethullah Gulen movement, which he denied. Turkish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in 2016 and seized his assets.
By then, he had already moved to the U.S., settling in Northern California. There, he runs a café, works as an Uber driver, and started a football school. Sukur and his family have not been able to return to Turkey.
When a Turkish broadcaster mentioned his name during the 2022 World Cup, the commentator lost his job at halftime. Ironically, Turkey’s second game was played right near where Sukur lives. But he chose not to attend, worried Turkish security agents might be there.
His wife took their daughters instead, and Sukur watched the game at home in Silicon Valley alongside a reporter for a Turkish YouTube channel.
His name even showed up twice on the big screen at Levi’s Stadium, thanks to FIFA’s new “Super shoutout” feature where fans can pay to have messages displayed. FIFA says all messages must follow guidelines and aren’t responsible for what shows up on screen.
It seems no one at FIFA realized how significant it was to see Sukur’s name appear. He has had an honorary doctorate revoked by a Turkish university and was kicked out of Galatasaray’s club membership. The club even edited him out of videos celebrating their 2000 UEFA Cup win, including removing his penalty in the shootout victory over Arsenal.