Three months ago, Mohammad Abu Fani was Dejan Stanković's prize signing at Red Star Belgrade. Now, with Stanković gone from the dugout, ONE reports the Israeli midfielder's place at the Serbian giants is suddenly in question.
Abu Fani joined Red Star from Ferencváros this summer in a deal worth around €1.5 million, signing a three-year contract reported at close to €750,000 a season. The move was driven above all by Stanković, who had coached him in Budapest and pushed hard to bring him to Belgrade.
The connection went back further than that. Stanković first took real notice of Abu Fani years earlier, when the midfielder helped knock Red Star out of Champions League qualifying while playing for Maccabi Haifa.
This time it was a different Israeli club that did the damage to Red Star's European campaign, and it happened with Abu Fani on the pitch. Hapoel Beer Sheva beat Red Star 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie in Beer Sheva on August 4, then won 2-0 in Belgrade a week later to complete a 3-0 aggregate upset and advance to the playoff round.
Abu Fani's own contribution did little to help his cause. He was substituted at halftime of the first leg, and in the return match in Belgrade he came off the bench only to be sent off in stoppage time for a rash, frustration-driven foul. Serbian media rated him among the poorest performers on the night.
Stanković's own night ended just as badly. The coach was shown a red card himself after a heated clash with the referee, and according to reports from Belgrade he told his players in the dressing room straight after the final whistle that he was resigning.
Red Star moved quickly to replace him, appointing former Liverpool winger Albert Riera as head coach on a two-year deal.
That leaves Abu Fani, in ONE's words, without the coach who "had no place" for him to lose - the report's title translates roughly to "without Stanković, Abu Fani has no place at Red Star." With his patron gone and a poor tie against an Israeli opponent fresh in the club's memory, ONE reports that Riera will now have to judge Abu Fani entirely on his own terms.
The outlet adds that several Israeli clubs are already tracking the situation, hoping to bring the 28-year-old international home before the transfer window shuts - though as of now that interest remains speculative rather than any advanced move.
Abu Fani made his name at Maccabi Haifa before his switch to Ferencváros in 2023, and has been a regular for the Israel national team. Belgrade was meant to be the next step up; instead, three months in, his time there already looks uncertain.
