Israel player sent off during match against Austria, goal celebration gesture draws online attention

Israel forward Sayed Abu Farchi was sent off during his side’s UEFA Nations League match against Austria after receiving a second yellow card following his goal celebration on Thursday (24 September).

The 20-year-old had just scored Israel’s equaliser when he ran towards the corner, removed the corner flag and used it as part of his celebration. The gesture later drew widespread attention online, with viewers divided over what he was depicting.

Abu Farchi sent off after equaliser

Austria took the lead through Romano Schmid’s penalty before half-time at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz.

Abu Farchi headed Israel level in the 55th minute before running to the corner flag. He pulled the flag from the ground and rested it across his hand before raising it above his head.

The referee showed him a second yellow card, followed by a red, leaving Israel with 10 players.

Abu Farchi had received his first booking just four minutes earlier.

UEFA rules state that players can be cautioned for “gesturing or acting in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory way” during goal celebrations. Removing the corner flag is also a bookable offence.

The BBC reported that it was unclear why the referee decided to issue the second yellow card, and said BBC Sport had approached UEFA for comment.

Debate over the gesture

The celebration subsequently circulated widely on social media, with some reports and viewers interpreting Abu Farchi’s movements as mimicking the firing of a gun.

Others argued that he was imitating a snooker or pool shot, with the corner flag being used like a cue.

The Times of Israel reported that Abu Farchi made a gun-firing gesture during the celebration, while the BBC noted that some reports had suggested this interpretation but also cited claims that he was imitating a snooker or pool shot.

There is also evidence that the celebration may have been a variation of a gesture Abu Farchi has used previously. The BBC reported that Israel manager Ran Ben-Shimon said the Colorado Rapids midfielder regularly performs the celebration in Major League Soccer and had not previously been booked for it.

Earlier footage reported by French outlet 20 Minutes also showed Abu Farchi performing a similar billiards-style celebration while playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Viral clip sparks debate online

The clip quickly went viral on social media, sparking debate over both the meaning of Abu Farchi’s gesture and his subsequent sending-off.

One post on X had garnered 6.6 million views, and the media had been disabled following a copyright report by the copyright owner at the time of writing, was captioned:

“ISRAEL PLAYER EJECTED IN MATCH VS AUSTRIA

For celebrating his goal as if he were shooting with a rifle...”

Much of the discussion under the post challenged the suggestion that Abu Farchi was mimicking a rifle.

Several commenters said the movement looked more like a player using a pool cue, while also arguing that the second yellow card could have resulted from removing the corner flag rather than the gesture itself.

One commenter also criticised what they described as sensationalised reporting of the incident:

Another commenter similarly separated the celebration from the player's political identity, saying the movement was recognisable as a billiards gesture and arguing that the booking was related to the removal of the corner flag:

A third commenter also interpreted the gesture as a pool-cue movement, while expressing opposition to Israel and questioning why the country continues to compete in European football:

Another commenter focused specifically on Israel's participation in European competitions, comparing it with Russia's exclusion:

Reddit discussion focuses on the booking

On Reddit, discussion centred more heavily on Abu Farchi's decision to perform the celebration despite already having a yellow card, with several users questioning whether he should have anticipated that the action could result in another booking.

Saied Abu Farchi second yellow card against Austria because of his goal celebration (56’)
by u/CautiousCottager in soccer

Some described the decision as careless rather than focusing solely on the political meaning of the gesture.

A comment questioning why he would take the risk while already booked received a reply suggesting that the action was intentional:

Other users described the gesture as insensitive, even if its intended meaning was disputed.

One commenter said the action was “tone deaf”, while another argued that the players involved would have known how the gesture could be perceived:

The possibility that Abu Farchi was simply careless with the rules was also raised, with another user pointing out that players should know better than to perform a potentially bookable celebration while already on a yellow card:

The discussion then shifted to the corner flag itself, with some Reddit users questioning if they had not realised that removing the flag could independently lead to a booking.

That prompted further disagreement over whether the dismissal was connected primarily to the flag or to the apparent gun gesture.

One reply criticised Abu Farchi for combining the removal of the flag with what the commenter viewed as a gun-related celebration:

Others continued to dispute that interpretation, with one asking whether the player was instead pretending to play snooker or pool:

Another commenter said the ending of the gesture made the gun interpretation more plausible, “I wouldve agreed until the end bit where his arm shot up mimicking a recoil.”

However, the billiards interpretation remained part of the discussion, with another user arguing that the movement was consistent with a typical pool break.

Austria wins 3-1

After Israel was reduced to 10 players, Austria regained the lead through Phillipp Mwene in the 90th minute.

Sasa Kalajdzic then scored in stoppage time to complete Austria’s 3-1 victory.

The match therefore ended with Abu Farchi’s sending-off becoming a major talking point online, particularly over whether his celebration represented a billiards shot or a firearm gesture, and whether removing the corner flag warranted the second booking.