Israel midfielder Sayed Abu Farhi was shown a red card after celebrating his goal with an apparent gun gesture during his side’s 3-1 defeat to Austria in the Nations League.
The 20-year-old Colorado Rapids player levelled the score for Israel in Linz before using the corner flag to imitate firing a gun.
According to the BBC on Thursday, the referee booked Abu Farhi for the celebration, resulting in his dismissal after the midfielder received a second yellow card and Israel was reduced to 10 players.
Football’s Laws of the Game permit referees to caution players whose goal celebrations are deemed provocative, derisory or inflammatory.
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Austria had opened the scoring through Romano Schmid before Abu Farhi restored parity. Phillipp Mwene put the hosts back in front late in the match, while Sasa Kalajdzic completed the scoring to secure a 3-1 victory.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of continuing controversy over Israel’s involvement in international football amid the war in Gaza.
Campaigners in the Republic of Ireland have urged supporters to boycott the country’s forthcoming matches against Israel, which are scheduled to take place at neutral venues.
The conflict began following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures cited by international organisations.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has put the death toll from Israeli attacks at more than 73,000, with the United Nations saying the figures are broadly reliable.