An episode of censorship occurred on Turkish national television, where the commentator of the match between Canada and Morocco (1:2) at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was replaced at halftime.

Morocco, eighth at the 2022 World Cup in QatarPhoto: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia

Turkish commentator substituted at half-time to announce Hakan Sukur’s name

After Moroccan Ziech’s goal (from the 4th minute) live on TRT, Alper Bakirjigil said that the fastest goal in the history of World Cups belongs to Hakan Sukur (10.8 seconds, at the World Cup 2002, in a winning match). Turkey 3-2 with South Korea – additional final of the competition).

The former Turkish great (now in exile in the US) is one of the biggest opponents of the regime led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and what he said earned the commentator a half-time substitute.

Shukur is considered an enemy of the country, and the mention of his name earned Alper Bakirjigil a substitution after the first 45 minutes.

In addition, when announcing the results of the match, the commentator’s voice was changed so that Hakan Sukur’s name was no longer heard.

In one of the posts on Twitter, the former great Turkish striker said, among other things: “How many changes does a dictatorial regime have the right to make?”

Hakan Sukur’s goal against South Korea at the 2002 World Cup