By WILL GRIFFEE
Published: 07:01 EST, 14 January 2026 | Updated: 07:01 EST, 14 January 2026
Former Liverpool star Fabinho was at the heart of a comical scene while being sent off for Al-Ittihad on Tuesday night.
The 32-year-old, who left the Reds for Saudi Arabia in 2023, committed a foul with his side searching for a late winner and was already on a yellow card.
Plenty of fans took to social media to mock Fabinho when it appeared as though he was trying to escape a second booking by subbing himself off.
The Brazilian immediately ran towards the sideline, refusing to make eye contact with the referee behind him.
He handed the captain's armband to a team-mate but even though he wasn't looking, Fabinho was shown a second yellow and then red by the match official.
The defensive midfielder clattered into a Damac player and bizarrely smiled after doing so, perhaps aware of the punishment coming his way.
Former Liverpool player Fabinho tried to sub himself off after fouling an opponent so the referee wouldn’t give him a second yellow… but it was too late ðð
Al-Ittihad down to 10 men
pic.twitter.com/QjQknYRzSe
— Kara (@UTDKara) January 14, 2026
Fabinho was seen running off without looking at the referee to receive his second yellow card
One fan on X wrote: 'Fabinho thought he could glitch the ref system lmao.'
Another posted: 'Why are players always silly when it comes to a card? Does he actually think running off will make him avoid a yellow card?'
While a third put: 'Bro really tried to gaslight the entire stadium into thinking his shift was over.'
While it appeared as though Fabinho was trying to run away from his punishment, the more likely explanation is that he already knew his fate and wanted to get off the pitch as quickly as possible to give his team more time to find a winning goal.
'He was going off to avoid wasting more time for his team,' wrote another fan on X. 'He knew it is a second yellow card.'
Regardless of the intention, it provided a moment of light relief late in the game that Al-Ittihad went on to draw 1-1.
Fabinho has played 64 times for the club having joined from Liverpool, where he was a key part of Jurgen Klopp's Premier League and Champions League winning side.
He joined his former team-mates at Diogo Jota's funeral over last summer.
Fabinho appears likely to leave Saudi in the summer and recently told Marca: 'It’s the first time in my career that I reach the end of a contract.
Fabinho was seen smiling to himself after committing the foul that got him booked again
'That doesn’t mean I’m a bad professional, but a club has always come and bought me.
'So, these last six months will be something new for me, but I’m also not in a hurry to resolve my situation. But I know in the coming weeks I’ll talk to my agent to assess a few options. I’m very happy at Al Ittihad but I have to assess everything.
'I’d also like to return to Europe one day, right now or in the future. I always like to try new things, a league I’ve never played at. Although I’ve already played in La Liga, it was only for 15–20 minutes, so it would be something new too. It’s something that gets me very excited, the prospect of playing in La Liga.'