June 2 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s favourite steak chef Salt Bae (real name Nusret Gokce) has responded to reports saying that he had been refused entry to a Champions League post-match party by hotel security personnel.
Rubbing salt into Bae’s wounded ego are multiple videos and pictures on the internet showing the surprisingly short man being physically ushered out of the hotel.
Brushing aside the affront to his huge personality, Gokce said he was only at the hotel for the thousands of fans that wanted to see him there – he really said that – because after all, a short man who cooks a $2,000 Tomahawk steak for the FIFA president is a much bigger draw than the players who had just served a brilliant and record breaking 5-0 Champions League final for the world to enjoy.
“After the Champions League final match, we arrived to the hotel in UEFA bus, the reason we were there at that moment was because of our thousands of fans who wanted to see us there,” said the Turkish chef (perhaps as intelligibly as the equally famous Swedish chef from the Muppets who also wasn’t invited to the party – guess they already had their own chefs in place for the catering).
“As always, I was in that area to return their love and to take photos. Due to the busyness that occurred, while I was waiting for my vehicle to go to my own hotel, my back turned in front of the door…” he continued.
“There was no organization like invitation party in the middle, hence the news that I was not included in the party. It’s all just baseless,” he said.
Well that explains it. He turned up at the hotel courtesy of UEFA’s bus to service his own fans and then left without going into the hotel for celebration party that never was.
Salt Bae has a history of turning up at football’s biggest finals and stealing the limelight. At the end of the World Cup final in 2022 he was pictured on the pitch with the World Cup trophy and various Argentina players.
He has cultivated a relationship with Infantino who has sung his praises on social media calling him a ‘legend’ and after a night at one his restaurants posting “the best of the best, unforgettable evening in Dubai.”
Bae recently posted of his FIFA buddy: “King of football gianni_infantino Under your leadership, football has not only grown – it has united the world in ways few ever could.” Of course the key thing to recognise here is that football, despite having been the global game for almost 100 years, only became the global game in 2015 when Infantino became emperor and history could be reinterpreted.
However, it seems Infantino’s name and influence doesn’t carry much weight in Munich these days.
Perhaps try a food truck outside the hotel next time if you need to get close to the action Salty?
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