World Cup blunder: Turkish state broadcaster axes commentator who confused Iran with New Zealand

Istanbul: Turkish state broadcaster TRT has removed a commentator from its World Cup roster after he mixed up Iran and New Zealand teams.

TRT said in a statement late on Tuesday that the commentator, identified by Turkish media as Murat Ekrem Cimen, had been withdrawn from the World Cup broadcast team in the U.S. pending investigation. It added that he would not continue to comment on matches during the tournament.

According to reports in Turkish media, Cimen referred to Iran’s attacks as New Zealand’s and described New Zealand’s moves as Iran’s during the opening minutes of the broadcast. The teams shared a 2-2 draw on Monday night in Group G.

TRT said the mistake was “unacceptable” under its broadcasting standards.

“We apologize to our viewers and the public for this error,” it said. “It is unacceptable for TRT that someone with over 30 years of experience in sports broadcasting would make such a mistake.” (AP)