Soccer: Israel's Abu Farchi sent off after controversial gun gesture celebration
Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was shown a red card after celebrating his goal against Austria by using the corner flag to mimic a gun, leaving Israel with 10 players in a 3-1 Nations League defeat.
During Israel's 3-1 UEFA Nations League loss to Austria on Thursday, forward Saied Abu Farchi was sent off after celebrating his 55th-minute equalizer goal by simulating a gun gesture using the corner flag. The 20-year-old had been booked earlier in the game, and the additional yellow card promptly turned into a red, resulting in his expulsion and leaving Israel with 10 players on the field.
Austria responded in the 90th minute with a goal from Phillipp Mwene, and Sasa Kalajdzic scored a third in stoppage time. The incident has sparked international pressure for Israel's national team to be excluded from future competitions following the ongoing war in Gaza. The Israel Football Association (IFA) has engaged in a social media dispute recently with Republic of Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrímsson over Ireland's calls for boycotts of upcoming matches against Israel.
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