Turkey's state broadcaster suspends commentator for confusing teams during World Cup match
- TRT suspended veteran commentator Murat Ekrem Çimen after he confused the Iran and New Zealand football teams during a match, spending the first four minutes commentating on the wrong teams based on their jersey colors.
- The commentator corrected himself only after cameras showed Iranian player Mehdi Taremi's name on his jersey.
- The four-minute clip went viral on social media, prompting heavy criticism. TRT issued an apology, launched an investigation, and suspended Çimen until the end of the FIFA World Cup.
The state broadcaster TRT suspended a commentator after he confused the Iran and New Zealand football teams during a match today.
For the first four minutes, Murat Ekrem Çimen commentated as if the team wearing the white jersey was New Zealand and the dark one was Iran, when the opposite was true.
Toward the end of the fourth minute of the match, the cameras showed Iranian player Mehdi Taremi from behind with his name visible, after which the commentator corrected himself. He had been identifying players holding the ball likely based on their playing positions, even providing details such as their club teams, which were incorrect as he was referring to the wrong team.
The four-minute clip went viral on social media, drawing heavy criticism toward TRT.
Following the criticism, the broadcaster released a statement apologizing to the public and announcing that it was investigating the incident. The statement, which did not name the commentator, said he was suspended until the end of the FIFA World Cup.
“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.
“The relevant commentator has been withdrawn from the World Cup broadcast team in the US as part of the investigation process and will not continue with the tournament broadcasts.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.”
Çimen is a veteran journalist with nearly three decades of experience in sports broadcasting. He previously served as the sports chief for Kanal A and has been commentating for TRT since 2008, covering numerous athletic events including football. (VK)
