Arya News - Israel footballer Sayed Abu Farchi was sent off for goal celebration mimicking shooting a gun in match against Austria.
Israel footballer Sayed Abu Farchi was sent off for his goal-scoring celebration when he used the corner flag to simulate a gun after equalizing against Austria in their UEFA Nations League late on Thursday.
The forward’s goal levelled the match 1-1 early in the second half at Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, Austria, his 55th minute header cancelling out Romano Schmid’s first-half penalty.
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It wasn’t immediately clear if Farchi, who plays his club football in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States, was about to simulate a pool cue shot or a weapon, but the action that followed left no one in doubt.
The referee promptly showed the Colorado Rapids forward a second yellow card, just four minutes after his first, leading to a red card.
Under the International Football Association Board Law 12, players can celebrate a goal as they wish, but their celebration “must not be excessive” and a player “must be cautioned for acting in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory way”.
Austria regained the lead in the 90th minute through Phillipp Mwene, who netted following a cross from Paul Wanner. Sasa Kalajdzic added a third goal in stoppage time with a close-range finish to seal a 3-1 win.
Israel’s participation in the Nations League has prompted fierce backlash from several other competing countries, including the Republic of Ireland, whose football association said its request to avoid future pairings with Israel had been rejected by UEFA .
A banner with the words “Free Palestine” was also displayed by Austrian fans close to the pitch during Thursday’s match.
Ireland face Israel on Sunday in a match to be hosted at a neutral venue – Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary – before hosting the return fixture on October 4.
Al Jazeera has contacted UEFA and Colorado Rapids for a response to Farchi’s celebratory simulation.