A Turkish commentator has been suspended after an embarrassing error during the World Cup opening game, where he confused Iran and New Zealand.
Commentator's Blunder Goes Viral
Turkish state broadcaster TRT was forced to suspend veteran commentator Murat Ekrem Cimen after he mistakenly identified the teams during their World Cup clash. For the first four minutes of the match in Los Angeles, Cimen commentated as if the team in white was New Zealand and the team in black was Iran, but the opposite was true.
It was only when the cameras showed Iran's Mehdi Taremi from behind, with his name visible on his shirt, that the commentator corrected himself. The four-minute clip went viral on social media, leading to heavy criticism of TRT.
Apology and Suspension
Cimen released a statement apologizing to the public. However, his employers issued a statement confirming that a commentator had been stood down until after the World Cup, though they did not name him. The statement read: "The necessary administrative and investigative processes regarding this error, which is inconsistent with TRT Sports' decades-long broadcasting expertise, experience, and commitment to quality, have been immediately initiated. At the conclusion of the process, the necessary actions will be fully implemented."
It added: "The relevant commentator has been withdrawn from the World Cup broadcast team in the US as part of the investigation process and will not continue with the tournament broadcasts. It is unacceptable for TRT that a figure with over 30 years of experience in sports broadcasting would make such a mistake. TRT does not tolerate any practices that violate broadcasting standards in national and international events reaching millions of viewers."
Veteran's Career
Cimen is a veteran in his field, boasting almost three decades of experience in sports broadcasting. He has been commentating for TRT since 2008, covering numerous events including football, making his error all the more glaring.
Match Recap
Iran twice came from behind in Los Angeles to deny New Zealand their first World Cup win. Motherwell forward Elijah Just twice gave New Zealand the lead, but the Kiwis were pegged back each time. Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi both scored for Iran as they secured a share of the spoils.
