Israeli Soccer Player Ejected Over Goal Celebration
Was a red card warranted for a provocative gesture or had this snooker celebration been seen before?
Above: Israel's Sayed Abu Farchi celebrates his goal against Austria in Linz, Austria on Sept. 24. Image credit: Georg Hochmuth/APA/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-Israel narrative
The Israeli football player broke the rules, got reprimanded and then whinged as thought he had done nothing wrong. He clearly though he was above the law and earned himself a red card.
Pro-Israel narrative
Farchi was not pretending to fire a weapon. He was mimicking a pool or snooker shot — a celebration he has done many times in the past. Suggesting this sporting hiccup is anything to do with broader global conflict is ludicrous.