World Cup: Commentator Confuses Teams, Gets Sacked – Not Even Taremi Could Save Him...

Murat Ekrem Cimen, a commentator for the Turkish channel TRT, has been removed from the broadcaster's World Cup staff after confusing the teams for four minutes during Tuesday morning's Iran-New Zealand match. Throughout that period, Cimen mixed up the two national teams, despite the Iranians playing in their usual white kit and the New Zealanders in black. 

The journalist, with over 30 years of experience, only realized his error when Iranian star Mehdi Taremi appeared on screen. Taremi, who previously played for FC Porto in Portugal after an initial stint at Rio Ave, was a clear identifier. However, the station's management showed no leniency. "The error made during the commentary of the Iran-New Zealand match, broadcast this morning [Tuesday] at 4 AM Turkish time as part of the World Cup, is unacceptable given TRT's broadcasting standards," the statement read. "We apologize to our viewers and the public for this mistake," they explained. 

Murat Cimen has been removed from the World Cup coverage team and faces potentially more severe employment repercussions. "The necessary measures will be fully implemented once this procedure is concluded. The commentator in question has been removed from the World Cup working group as part of the investigation and will no longer participate in the tournament's broadcasts. It is unacceptable for TRT that someone with over 30 years of experience in sports commentary would make such an error. The broadcaster does not tolerate any practice that violates broadcasting standards in national and international events reaching millions of viewers," concluded TRT's statement. 

The Group G encounter ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw.