World Cup: VAR official clarifies viral white supremacy gesture, says it was a jerk
FIFA courted a massive backlash during Germany’s 7-1 rout of Curacao after VAR official Shaun Evans allegedly made a white supremacy gesture live. Evans appeared to make an OK sign with his right hand, a gesture now recognized as a far-right symbol and widely used on social media.
After the reaction, a VAR official clarified that the gesture was caused by an involuntary twitch and that he did not mean anything by it. After reviewing the matter, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee concluded that the Australian had not breached the sport’s disciplinary code.
“I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to convey any message, affiliation, game or belief,” Evans said in a statement released by FIFA on Monday.
“The only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was not aware that I had done it at the time. Footage taken later in the match showed that I repeated this movement many times while holding the pen between my fingers.”
In 2019, the gesture—with the thumb and forefinger touching in a circle and the other fingers extended—was labeled a hate symbol by the New York Anti-Defamation League.
“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,” said the Fare network, which is a long-standing partner of FIFA and European soccer’s governing body UEFA, which monitors racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international matches.
“It is clear that this official should play no further role in this World Cup,” Fare said in a statement, calling the gesture “neo-Nazi”.
Evans is working on his second World Championship and this was his first match at the tournament.
“FIFA’s Independent Disciplinary Committee can confirm that, after investigating the matter involving video assistant referee Shaun Evans, it found no evidence of a breach of FIFA’s disciplinary code,” FIFA said in a statement. “The Disciplinary Committee also took 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 “OK” BECOME A SYMBOL OF HATE?
The hand gesture in question has carried associations with white supremacy for nearly a decade, although its origins date back to a hoax campaign on the far-right message board 4chan before it was adopted in extremist circles.
The anti-discrimination organization Fare questioned the optics of the incident at a tournament of this magnitude.
“Why does a VAR supervisor use this symbol at a global football event when he knows there are cameras on him?” Fare said, adding that the broadcasters appeared to have stopped implementing the VAR panel on TV in the two subsequent matches.
The symbol attracted widespread international attention in March 2019 after it appeared during the first court appearance of the gunman who killed 51 Muslim worshipers in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Later that year, when the gesture was classified as a hate symbol, ADL Center on Extremism director Oren Segal said that context remains critical in determining intent.
“There is enough hateful use 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, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In response to the controversy, Evans denied any deliberate intent behind the gesture.
“The coverage after this incident simply doesn’t reflect who I am,” Evans said.
“Of course I understand how the gesture was interpreted and I regret it. However, I want to be very clear and categorical that I did not consciously or intentionally design the hand symbol.”
“To officiate at the World Cup is the greatest honor of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues throughout the rest of the tournament.”
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
16 Jun 2026 10:58 IST