Overview
- The dismissal came in the 55th minute of the Austria v Israel match on Thursday when 20-year-old Sayed Abu Farchi scored to make it 1-1, removed a corner flag and made a motion that referees judged to resemble firing a gun.
- Referee Georgi Kabakov showed Abu Farchi a second yellow for the celebration after an earlier booking, producing a red card that reduced Israel to ten men and preceded Austria’s late 3-1 win.
- Football’s Laws of the Game allow referees to caution players for celebrations judged provocative or inflammatory, including gestures resembling weapons, which is the basis for the on‑field sanction.
- Israel coach Ran Ben Shimon acknowledged that Abu Farchi has marked goals in a similar way before and said he should have stopped the celebration, and multiple outlets report the player will miss Israel’s next Nations League match through suspension.
- The clip went viral and drew split public reaction at a time of heightened scrutiny around Israel fixtures, and UEFA is expected to review the incident separately to determine if further disciplinary action is needed.