Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi sent off for corner-flag celebration in 3-1 loss to Austria
Israel striker Saied Abu Farchi received a second yellow card for celebrating his equaliser with a corner flag before Austria scored twice late to secure a 3-1 Nations League win in Linz.
Equaliser and dismissal in Linz
Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi received a red card moments after scoring in his team's 3-1 UEFA Nations League defeat to Austria at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz on Thursday. The 20-year-old striker, who plays club football for Colorado in Major League Soccer, headed home a 55th-minute goal to level the score at 1-1. To celebrate his first senior international goal, the Arab-Israeli forward ran to the corner flag, pulled the pole from the turf, and knelt on the pitch while placing his left hand under the shaft. Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov deemed the gesture an imitation of a firearm and issued a second yellow card, having booked Abu Farchi four minutes earlier in the 51st minute. Italian and French match reports noted that the player was miming a billiards shot rather than brandishing a weapon, but the referee dismissed on-pitch appeals from Israeli players.
- Romano Schmid converts a penalty to give Austria a 1-0 lead
- Saied Abu Farchi receives his first yellow card
- Saied Abu Farchi scores a header and is sent off following a second yellow card
- Phillipp Mwene scores from a Paul Wanner cross to make it 2-1
- Sasa Kalajdzic scores a close-range finish to seal Austria's 3-1 victory
Austria capitalise with late goals
The dismissal forced Israel to play the final 35 minutes with 10 men. Austria had taken the lead before halftime through a penalty converted by Romano Schmid. Although Israel defended the 1-1 scoreline through most of the second half, the Austrian attack broke through in the final moments of regular play. Defender Phillipp Mwene restored the home advantage in the 90th minute, converting a cross from Paul Wanner. Striker Sasa Kalajdzic added a third goal for Austria in stoppage time with a close-range finish to seal the 3-1 result.
Neutral venues and political dispute
The match in Linz took place ahead of Israel's scheduled fixture against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday evening. The upcoming double header between the two nations is set for neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia because of safety concerns connected to the conflict in the Middle East. The Football Association of Ireland confirmed that it will fulfil both matches despite domestic calls from political figures and advocacy groups to forfeit. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson acknowledged before the fixture that his squad felt uneasy, answering questions about boycott calls with sharp criticism of the Israeli campaign.
We're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide. We're playing against Israel, we're not playing with Israel.
Diplomatic exchange over manager comments
The remarks drew an immediate response from the Israeli Football Association, which published a rebuttal targeting Hallgrimsson directly on social media. The federation pointed to historical Nobel Prizes won by Israeli citizens while rejecting the coach's stance.
We have contributed to the world and humanity in countless fields, earning an impressive number of Nobel Prizes along the way. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a cure for stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy displayed by @IrelandFootball team coach. We're not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, we're playing against the coach who embodies them.
Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin addressed the exchange while speaking with reporters, calling the Israeli FA comments unacceptable and asserting that they should be withdrawn.
