Mohammad Abu Ichsa

Mohammad Abu Fani (or Mohamad Abo-Fani, , ; born 27 April 1998) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade and the Israel national team.

Early life Abu Fani was born in Kafr Qara, Israel, to a Muslim-Arab family. His father Sami Abu Fani, a former local footballer, supported Mohammad's football career from a young age. He has two sisters, Rawan and Lareen.

Club career

Maccabi Haifa On 13 May 2017, Abu Fani made his debut for Maccabi Haifa in a 1–0 loss to Bnei Sakhnin, coming in as a substitute at the 46th minute. At youth level, he was part of the Maccabi Haifa U-21 team which won two consecutive championships, in 2015–16 and 2016–17, as well as reaching the UEFA Youth League play off stage.

Ferencváros On 15 June 2023, Abu Fani signed for four years for Ferencváros.

On 20 April 2024, the Ferencváros–Kisvárda tie ended with a goalless draw at the Groupama Aréna on the 29th match day of the 2023–24 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season which meant that Ferencváros won their 35th championship.

On 15 May 2024, Ferencváros were defeated by Paks 2–0 in the 2024 Magyar Kupa Final at the Puskás Aréna.

Abu Fani won the 2024–25 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season with Ferencváros after beating Győr 2–1 at the ETO Park on the last match day on 24 May 2025. On 9 May 2026, he won the 2025–26 Magyar Kupa season with Ferencváros by beating Zalaegerszegi TE 1–0 in the 2026 Magyar Kupa final at Puskás Aréna.

Red Star Belgrade On 13 June 2026, Abu Fani joined Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade on a three-year deal with an option for a fourth.

International career Since youth, Abu Fani played for both the under-19 and the under-21 national teams of Israel, appearing in 18 matches, and scoring three goals for the U19s.

He made his senior debut for Israel on 8 October 2020 in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs away match against Scotland.

Abu Fani has faced Islamophobic taunts from far-right Israeli football hooligans despite playing for the national team. During his team's 2–1 victory over Andorra at a Euro 2024 tournament qualifier, Abu Fani was booed and called a "terrorist" by far-right fans of Beitar Jerusalem. After the incident, Abu Fani's father said "When the opposing team swears at you, it’s a sign you’re a good player. When it comes from your fans, it hurts."

On 9 September 2024, Abu Fani scored his first senior international goal against Italy in the UEFA Nations League. A month later in the return match against Italy, Abu Fani scored an "Olimpico" goal directly from the corner kick.

Career statistics Club

International

International goals No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 10 September 2024 Bozsik Aréna, Budapest, Hungary 1–2 1–2 2024–25 UEFA Nations League 2 14 October 2024 Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy 1–2 1–4 3 25 March 2025 Nagyerdei Stadion, Debrecen, Hungary 1–1 2–4 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 4 6 June 2025 Lilleküla Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 3–1 3–1

Honours Maccabi Haifa Israeli Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23 Israeli Toto Cup: 2021–22 Israel Super Cup: 2021

Ferencváros Nemzeti Bajnokság I: 2023–24, 2024–25 Hungarian Cup: 2025–26