Turkish state broadcaster drops veteran World Cup commentator over Iran-New Zealand mix-up

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Iran's Ali Alipour (11) battles for the ball with New Zealand's Ryan Thomas (23) during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

New Zealand's Callan Elliot (24) challenges for the ball with Iran's Milad Mohammadi (5) during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) — Iran's Ali Alipour (11) battles for the ball with New Zealand's Ryan Thomas (23) during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

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6:25 AM on Wednesday, June 17

The Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — 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said in a statement late on Tuesday that the commentator, identified by Turkish media as Murat Ekrem Çimen, had been withdrawn from the World Cup broadcast team in the U.S. pending investigation.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.”

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup