Recently, the famous Turkish butcher, Salt Bae shared a photo of him holding the World Cup trophy. However, people are raging at the comments on his Instagram post as they asserted that his action was against the law.
Why is it against the law?
The FIFA World Cup trophy is the key symbol of the football tournament. Aside from that, it is the biggest prize in any sport. The 18-carat prize is estimated to be worth $20 million.
Thus, with the price so expensive, the trophy must be handled with meticulous care. The World Cup prize travelled the globe under 24-hour water-tight security every four years. That is why FIFA has prepared a specific list of the people who are allowed to handle and touch it.
Who can touch the trophy?
Of course, someone has to handle the six-kilogram trophy. When it lands in one’s country, the handler should wear gloves to touch it.
Those who can touch it with their bare hands are the winning players and coaches, the head of state, and of course, the FIFA officials.
Winners are allowed to touch the trophy and celebrate with it. However, the governing body can demand the return of the prize anytime as it still remains FIFA’s property.
Source: The Sporting News