FIFA courted a massive backlash during Germany’s 7-1 routing of Curacao after VAR official Shaun Evans allegedly made a white supremacist gesture on live broadcast. Evans appeared to make an OK sign with his right hand, a gesture that is now recognised as a far-right symbol and widely used on social media.
Following the backlash, the VAR official clarified that the gesture was caused by an involuntary twitch and that he did not mean anything by it. FIFA’s disciplinary committee, after reviewing the matter, concluded that the Australian had not breached the sport’s disciplinary code.
“I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind,” Evans said in a statement released Monday by FIFA.
“The only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was unaware I had done it at the time. Images taken later during the match showed that I repeated this movement many times while holding a pen between my fingers.”
In 2019, the gesture – with thumb and forefinger touching in a circle and the other fingers outstretched – was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League.
“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” said the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European football governing body UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games.
“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” Fare said in its statement, describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi”.
Evans is working at his second World Cup, and this was his first game of the tournament.
“FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee can confirm that, after looking into the matter involving support video assistant referee Shaun Evans, it has found no evidence of breaches of the FIFA disciplinary code,” the FIFA panel said in a statement. “The disciplinary committee has also taken note of Mr Evans’ statement.”
In Australia, the Professional Football Referees Association and governing body Football Australia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
HOW DID THE ‘OK’ SIGN BECOME A HATE SYMBOL?
The hand gesture in question has carried associations with white supremacy for nearly a decade, though its origins trace back to a hoax campaign on the far-right message board 4chan before being adopted in extremist circles.
Anti-discrimination organisation Fare questioned the optics of the incident at a tournament of this scale.
“Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” Fare said, adding that broadcasters appeared to stop introducing the VAR panel on television in the two matches that followed.
The symbol drew widespread international attention in March 2019 after it was flashed during the first court appearance of the gunman who killed 51 Muslim worshippers in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Later that year, when the gesture was classified as a hate symbol, ADL Centre on Extremism director Oren Segal said context remained crucial in determining intent.
“There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add,” Segal said at the time.
Evans is one of 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Responding to the controversy, Evans denied any deliberate intent behind the gesture.
“The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am,” Evans said.
“Of course, I understand how the gesture has been interpreted and I regret this. However, I want to be very clear and categorically say that I did not knowingly or deliberately make the hand symbol suggested.
“Officiating at the World Cup is the biggest honour of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues for the rest of the tournament.”
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