Israel coach defends Abu Farchi corner flag celebration ahead of Ireland clash

Austria’s Patrick Wimmer fully agreed with the decision of Scottish referee Nicholas Walsh to send off Saied Abu Farchi, calling the celebration 'stupid'

Israel's Saied Abu Farchi was sent off in his side's Nations League defeat to Austria. Pic: GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / AFP via Getty Images

Israel have attempted to defend Saied Abu Farchi for the provocative gesture that got him sent off but he’s been branded 'stupid' by an Austrian opponent.

The Colorado Rapids attacker is suspended for Sunday’s contentious meeting with Ireland in Hungary after being dismissed for a goal celebration on Thursday that was deemed to be ‘gun-like.” 

Abu Farchi celebrated his equaliser in Linz by dashing to the corner, lifting the flag and then holding it horizontally while kneeling.

His second yellow card was swiftly brandished and his team ended up losing their opener 3-1.

The 20-year-old has since taken his Instagram profile private but beforehand had posted a picture of himself doing the celebration with the black eight ball emoji, accompanied along with song lyrics. Translated, these read: “And what happened? You didn’t do anything!”

Afterwards, his manager Ran Ben-Shimon downplayed the player’s action, insisting they weren’t new and didn’t relate to any military gestures.

“Every time he scores a goal, he celebrates exactly like that,” he stressed.

“He’s never received a yellow card for it. That’s his way of celebrating goals. He does it all the time; it’s my fault I didn’t stop him.”

That’s not necessarily the case across his career, for when he did so in an Israeli league match last season, after scoring for Maccabi Tel Aviv against Maccabi Haifa, Abu Farchi was yellow carded.

He has since apologised to his teammates but there was no sympathy forthcoming from their hosts.

Austria’s Patrick Wimmer fully agreed with the decision of Scottish referee Nicholas Walsh to invoke a rule whereby players are punished for celebrations deemed to be “provocative, mocking, or riotous.” “I think that, given the phase the country is in, or rather the phase we’re currently in, that’s just stupid.

“That sort of thing generally has no place in football – and especially in the situation they’re in, I think even less so.” 

Israel, like Ireland, move on from an opening night defeat in Uefa Nations League B3. They’ve flown to Debrecen in east Hungary, the home ground they’ve made their own since Uefa decreed they switch to neutral venues in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Unlike all previous visits of opponents, the FAI declined the invitation of an away ticket allocation due to “operational challenges and safety and security concerns”.

Israel have put tickets on sale, to both home and neutral fans, and it's expected a number of Irish supporters will be inside a 20,000-seater arena that will be 80% empty.

Ran Ben-Shimon and a player will face the media, including Irish press corps, in Saturday evening’s pre-match press conference, with questions on the situation in Gaza inevitable.

Manor Solomon, who joined West Ham United from Tottenham in the summer, on Wednesday reacted tersely to a question about his country’s genocidal regime on the Palestinian population, sarcastically berating the reporter by saying, “You’re doing a great job.”