Israel manager speaks out about player’s red card for ‘gun’ celebration after rare UEFA rule comes to light
Israel’s head coach, Ran Ben-Shimon, shared his thoughts after forward Sayed Abu Farchi was sent off for a strange ‘gun’ celebration during their match against Austria.
The confusing moment happened in the 56th minute at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz. After Abu Farchi, a 20-year-old Colorado Rapids player, scored Israel’s equalizer, he ran to the corner flag, picked it up, and pretended to shoot a gun. Some reports say he might have been imitating a snooker or pool shot instead.
Referee Georgi Kabakov quickly showed him a yellow card, then a second one shortly after, which led to Abu Farchi being sent off. Players from both teams looked puzzled, and Abu Farchi seemed confused too. Ben-Shimon explained after the game that this celebration is something the player does often at his club without any issues.
“I’ve seen it before, and anyone can check,” Ben-Shimon said. “Whenever this young player scores—whether for the Israeli national team or in MLS—he celebrates the same way, and he’s never gotten a yellow card for it. He didn’t know this would cause a problem; this is just how he celebrates. He’s young, and I’m sure he’ll learn from this mistake.”
According to IFAB rules, used by UEFA, players must get a yellow card if they make a provocative or inflammatory gesture, and removing a corner flag is also an offense. This likely explains why Abu Farchi got two quick yellow cards.
Austria won the game 3-1, with late goals from Phillip Mwene and Sasa Kalajdzic, after taking the lead through Romano Schmid in the first half.
Israel will play against the Republic of Ireland on September 27. There have been calls for Ireland to boycott these games because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where over 73,000 people have died since October 7, 2023. Both Nations League matches between Ireland and Israel will be held at neutral venues.