Following Haris Rauf, Pakistan U-17 footballer, sparked outrage by mocking the Indian Defence Forces with ‘tea sipping’ and ‘jet crashing’ gestures after scoring in the SAFF U-17 Championships against India. Netizens condemned him as India won 3-2.
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf’s controversial gestures, intending to mock the Indian Defence Forces, have now been mirrored by a Pakistan footballer in the SAFF U-17 Championships against Team India at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo on Monday, September 22.
Haris Rauf mocked the Indian Defence Forces, who successfully carried out Operation Sindoor, by gesturing ‘6-0’ and ‘jet crashing’, referring to baseless claims that six IAF aircraft were shot down by Pakistan during the recent skirmishes, in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash against India, sparking widespread outrage by the Indian public and prompting calls for disciplinary action against the Pakistan pacer.
Pakistan’s resorting to such provocative gestures has continued in football when a country’s player took the opportunity to mock India in the recently concluded SAFF U-17 Championships between two arch–rivals in Colombo.
Pakistan Footballer inspired by Haris Rauf
Pakistan footballer, Muhammad Abdullah, was at the centre of controversy after Haris Rauf for mocking India and the defence forces for Operation Sindoor’s success, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as a revenge for the Pahalgam terror attack. The incident took place in the 42nd minute of the first half, when Abdullah attempted a penalty.
After scoring a penalty, Muhammad Abdullah celebrated with his Pakistan teammates by first gesturing ‘tea sipping’, referring to Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured and released by Pakistan in 2019. Then, Abdullah gestured ‘jet crashing’, similar to Haris Rauf, to mock India’s Air Force with false claims that six IAF fighter jets were shot down during Operation Sindoor.
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Indian cricketers and footballers in the Asia Cup 2025 and the SAFF U-17 Championships, respectively, played with certain dignity and refrained from making or gesturing any provocative or disrespectful actions towards their opponents, solely focusing on their games.
Pakistan, on the other hand, has resorted to inflammatory gestures and unsporting behaviour, overshadowing their performances on the field amid the ongoing tensions between the two nations.
Netizens lambast Pakistan footballer for controversial gestures
Just like Haris Rauf stooped low with his unsporting behaviour and controversial gestures based on baseless claims by the Pakistan Government, Pakistan footballer Muhammad Abdullah followed the same path.
After the video of Mohammad Abdullah mocking the Indian Defence Forces went viral on social media, the netizens lashed out at him, condemning his actions as disgraceful and unsporting. While others were quite surprised by the U-17 footballer’s actions, given that his career is only beginning.
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Meanwhile, despite Muhammad Abdullah’s disrespectful gestures, Team India’s morale remains high as they defeated Pakistan 3-2 and moved to the top of the Group B points table in the ongoing SAFF U-17 Championships 2025. Dallalmuon Gangte (31’), Rahan Ahmed (73’), and Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam (63’) found the back of the net for India and sealed the hard-fought victory over arch-rivals.