Saied Abu Farchi received a second yellow card after celebrating his equaliser against Austria on 24 September 2026, The Guardian reported. Its account says some reports interpreted his use of the corner flag as a gun gesture, but says it appeared to imitate snooker and records his earlier explanation that it was a snooker celebration.
Almost Signed analysis: IFAB Law 12 separates the sanction from arguments about intent. A second caution in the same match requires dismissal, and the match report says Abu Farchi had already been booked four minutes earlier. That explains the red card without establishing which interpretation of the gesture the referee adopted. Law 12 also permits cautions for provocative celebrations; the supplied report does not identify the referee’s specific classification, so applying that clause to this gesture would require additional evidence.
Corrections
- Source check, 13 October 2026: The Guardian says the celebration appeared to mimic a snooker cue and distinguishes that from some reports describing a gun. The source records competing interpretations of the celebration. The live account explicitly qualifies the disputed gesture, gives the prior snooker explanation, and supports the score, scorers and timing. The current Guardian account disputes the original gesture interpretation. The equaliser was not disallowed.