Sayed Abu Farchi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sayed Abu Farchi | ||
| Date of birth | 11 May 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Baqa al-Gharbiyye, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Colorado Rapids | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2016 | Maccabi Barkai | ||
| 2016–2024 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2026 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 33 | (8) |
| 2024 | → Kafr Qasim (loan) | 13 | (4) |
| 2024–2025 | → Maccabi Bnei Reineh (loan) | 32 | (4) |
| 2026– | Colorado Rapids | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Israel U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Israel U17 | 10 | (2) |
| 2023–2025 | Israel U19 | 17 | (4) |
| 2024–2026 | Israel U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2026– | Israel | 2 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 June 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:00, 24 September 2026 (UTC) | |||
Sayed Abu Farchi (Hebrew: סייד אבו פרחי, Arabic: سيد أبو فرحي; born 11 May 2006) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids and the Israel national team.
Early life
Abu Farchi was born on 11 May 2006 in Baqa al-Gharbiyye, Israel, to an Arab-Muslim family.[1][2]
Club career
Abu Farchi made his senior debut for Maccabi Tel Aviv on 31 August 2023, as a substitute in the 90th minute in a 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying away match against the Slovenian club Celje, that ended in a 2–2 draw.[3]
In February 2024 loaned to Liga Leumit club F.C. Kafr Qasim.[4]
On 1 September 2026, Abu Farchi was sold to MLS side Colorado Rapids for a reported fee of $6 million. He signed a contract through the 2029–30 MLS season with an option for 2030–31.[5]
International career
Youth career
He was a youth International for Israel, who played for the under-19 national team from 2023 to 2025,[6] and has played for the under-21 national team from 2024.
Senior career
During his second cap for the senior Israel national team against Austria in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League B on 24 September 2026,[1] he was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for celebrating his goal by performing a gesture with the corner flag. This celebration garnered attention due to confusion over whether it simulated a snooker shot or a rifle.[7][8][9] Israel national team head coach Ran Ben-Shimon clarified that Abu Farchi always celebrates his goals by imitating a snooker shot,[10][11] as he had done in the 2026 Israel Super Cup.[2] The Israel Football Association sent an official complaint to UEFA over the referee's decision to send off Abu Farchi, citing "extreme injustice".[12] Shlomi Berl, the Israel Football Association spokesperson, said: "The association today formally filed a complaint regarding the yellow cards shown to Abu Farchi against Austria. We argue that the first yellow card was incorrect and the second resulted from a misunderstanding by the refereeing team. Everyone knows that this is his regular celebration and it mimics a snooker shot".[12]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 20 September 2026[13]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2023–24 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | 31 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6[f] | 1 | – | 42 | 11 | |||
| 2026–27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[g] | 2 | 1[e] | 2 | 8 | 5 | ||
| Total | 33 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 16 | ||
| Kafr Qasim (loan) | 2023–24 | Liga Leumit | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 4 | ||
| Maccabi Bnei Reineh (loan) | 2023–24 | Israeli Premier League | 32 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 37 | 6 | ||
| Colorado Rapids | 2026 | Major League Soccer | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 80 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 107 | 26 | ||
- ↑ Includes Israel State Cup, U.S. Open Cup
- ↑ Includes Toto Cup
- ↑ Appearance in UEFA Conference League
- ↑ Appearance in UEFA Champions League
- 1 2 Appearance in Israel Super Cup
- ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ↑ Four appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, one appearance in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 24 September 2026
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 24 September 2026 | Raiffeisen Arena, Linz, Austria |  Austria | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2026–27 UEFA Nations League B |
Honours
Source: AiScore[14]
Maccabi Tel Aviv
See also
References
- 1 2 "Sayed Abu Farchi". eu-football.info. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 ספורט, Ynet; ספורט, ynet (25 September 2026). "חגיגת ה"רובה" של אבו פרחי - והסערה בעולם: "חיקה תנועת ירי"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- ↑ "Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. NK Celje - 31 August 2023 - Soccerway".
- ↑ Pshehazki, Moti (8 February 2024). "סופית: אושרה השאלת אבו פרחי לכפר קאסם" (in Hebrew). The Sport Channel. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ↑ "Colorado Rapids acquire Israeli forward Sayed Abu Farkhi". Retrieved 1 September 2026.
- ↑ Sayed Abu Farchi – Israel Football Association league player details (archive)
- ↑ "Israel's Abu Farchi red-carded for goal celebration". www.espn.com. 24 September 2026. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Israel's Sayed Abu Farhi sent off for appearing to mimic gun in goal celebration". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Millar, Colin (25 September 2026). "Israeli player criticised for 'stupid' goal celebration which led to red card". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- ↑ "Ahmt Sayed Abu Farkhi ein Gewehr nach?: Wirbel um israelischen Eckfahnen-Jubel". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- ↑ "Billardqueue oder Schusswaffe? Israeli fliegt nach umstrittenem Jubel vom Platz". watson.ch (in German). 25 September 2026. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- 1 2 "הצעד של ההתאחדות לאחר האדום של סייד אבו פרחי - ערוץ הספורט". Sport5.co.il - אתר ערוץ הספורט (in Hebrew). 26 September 2026. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- ↑ Sayed Abu Farchi at Soccerway
- ↑ "Sayed Abu Farkhi trophies list - AiScore". www.aiscore.com. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
External links
- Sayed Abu Farchi – Israel Football Association league player details (archive)
- Sayed Abu Farchi at Soccerway
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- 2006 births
- Living people
- Arab-Israeli footballers
- Israeli men's footballers
- Footballers from Baqa al-Gharbiyye
- Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. players
- F.C. Kafr Qasim players
- Maccabi Bnei Reineh F.C. players
- Colorado Rapids players
- Israeli Premier League players
- Liga Leumit players
- Israel men's youth international footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- 21st-century Israeli sportsmen
- Israeli expatriate men's footballers
- Israeli expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Major League Soccer players
- Israeli Muslims
- Israeli football forward stubs