Most Cringe Video from World Cup Is, Naturally, Salt Bae

What a great weekend to be a soccer fan. Even if you’re not, it was a fascinating finish. As the match between France and Argentina in Qatar went into a shootout on Sunday, it was hard not to be engrossed even if you’d never watched the sport before.

But in a stroke of monumental disappointment, it appears that someone let Salt Bae on the field during the celebration to the clear confusion of even the footballers themselves.

You might remember the chef who, in extremely dramatic fashion, tosses salt on diners’ steaks at his Nusr-Et restaurants, which we still haven’t visited. Salt Bae, who is from Turkey, fills in a sliver on a Venn diagram that’s part internet meme and, we suppose, part restaurateur. His luxury steak houses dot the globe: Dubai, Qatar, Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with a handful in the U.S., including one in Dallas.

After evidently getting a field pass following the game Sunday, Salt Bae had no reservations in doing whatever he wanted. He was so bold as to repeatedly grab Lionel Messi after the match for a photo; Messi, understandably, was not interested. Z Bo on Twitter caught that exchange, with Messi trying to walk away and Salt Bae pulling on him. Make. It. Stop. He eventually got his photo though. Sad face.

@nusr_et Woww #saltbae #salt #saltlife ♬ Originalton – darkvidez

Part of what makes the video so painful to watch is that he awkwardly grabs, holds and even kisses the World Cup trophy, a ritual reserved for the players themselves and heads of state. The Sporting News writes, “An extremely exclusive list of people are allowed to touch the World Cup trophy with their bare hands, including tournament winning players and coaches, heads of state and FIFA officials.”

And yet. Salt Bae kissed it multiple times. Hopefully, a Jan. 6-level inquiry is being organized.

Then — yes, it gets worse — he made it all a bigger mockery by pretending to toss salt on the trophy. This is all so painful to write. He even grabbed one of the players’ medals and put it in his mouth.

It all serves as a reminder to just be very mindful of where you spend your dining dollars. Dallas is full of great steakhouses.