Watch: Controversial hand gesture during Germany vs Curacao FIFA World Cup 2026 match goes viral

Controversial hand gesture during Germany vs Curacao (Screengrabs) NEW DELHI: Controversy has emerged at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after referee Shaun Evans was accused of making a white supremacist hand gesture during Germany’s match against Curacao in Houston. There was a moment when the telecast switched to the video assistant referee (VAR) room and critics claimed Evans had done a reverse ‘OK’ sign.The gesture has been at the center of previous controversy and has been linked to far-right groups. Brenton Tarrant reportedly displayed the same symbol during a 2019 court appearance following the New Zealand mosque attacks that left 50 dead. The BBC has also listed the inverted “OK” sign as a recognized symbol of hate.Watch:Anti-discrimination organization Fare Network urged FIFA to remove Evans from the World Cup governing panel. In a strongly worded statement, the organization said: “Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles the inverted ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a symbol of ‘white power’ in global far-right circles. “Why does a VAR supervisor use this symbol at a global football event when he knows there are cameras on him? It can only be that he is deliberately broadcasting a far-right neo-Nazi symbol,” it added.“We noted that in the two following games, the TV directors appear to have stopped presenting the VAR panel to the TV audience. The global TV audience should not be exposed to extremist far-right individuals preparing to watch the match, using neo-Nazi symbols. It is clear that this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup.”FIFA has not yet responded to the allegations.