World Cup referee Shaun Evans has been told he must ‘have no further role to play’ in the tournament and should be removed over a ‘neo-Nazi’ gesture, by organisers FIFA’s own discrimination monitor.
Today, FIFA are seeking explanations as to why Australian official Evans, working as a video assistant referee (VAR) supervisor, made an ‘OK’ symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg during a TV broadcast.
The moment came during the pre-match presentation of the refereeing team before Germany’s opening game against Curacao on Sunday – an unusual moment in the spotlight that has been introduced at this World Cup.
In 2019 this gesture – with thumb and forefinger touched in a circle and other fingers outstretched – was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League. It has been adopted as a sign for white supremacists.
Now FIFA’s discrimination monitor, the Fare network, are demanding Evans is removed from the World Cup.
Referee Shaun Evans was ‘support VAR’ for Germany’s victory over Curacao when he was shown staring into the camera before kick-off, as has become customary at World Cup matches
The Australian A-League official appeared to make an upside-down ‘OK’ hand gesture, which can be interpreted as a symbol linked to white supremacy
‘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,’ a Fare statement said.
‘Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup.’ Fare described the ‘OK’ gesture as ‘neo-Nazi’.
Fare are a long-time partner of FIFA and European football’s governing body UEFA, monitoring racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games.
Evans, from Victoria, Australia, became a FIFA-listed referee in 2017 and has officiated several high-profile matches, including at the 2022 World Cup.
Daily Mail Sport has asked FIFA for comment.
While the symbol is commonly used to mean ‘OK’ and is also a popular emoji, its use upside down and below the waist has drawn scrutiny.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in 2019 that the OK symbol has become a ‘popular trolling tactic’ from ‘right-leaning individuals, who often post photos to social media of themselves posing while making the gesture’.
The gesture is also associated with a playground game in which any individual who looks at the sign below the waist is punched.
FIFA are set to investigate the context and intent behind the gesture.
In Australia, the Professional Football Referees Association and governing body Football Australia were contacted for comment.
It was unclear if Evans, working at his first game at the World Cup, was making a political gesture or playing a children’s game prank.
The ‘gotcha’ or ‘circle game’ is where someone flashes an upside-down OK sign below their waist and punches in the shoulder anyone who looks at it.
Evans is among 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA to work at the World Cup being played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
‘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. ‘We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.’
The hand shape appeared similar to the incident surrounding a Paris 2024 official, who had his accreditation removed for appearing to make the gesture during a women’s skateboarding final.
In that case, the man in question, who was wearing Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) kit but was later identified as a subcontractor, appeared to make the hand sign twice during event footage while standing behind athletes.
The ADL maintains that the ‘overwhelming usage’ of the hand gesture today is still to show approval, or that someone is all right.
Therefore ‘particular care must be taken not to jump to conclusions about the intent behind someone who has used the gesture’.
However, it can be used as a ‘sincere expression of white supremacy’.
The discriminatory use of the symbol started out as an online joke on 4Chan – taking an innocent gesture and pretending there was a hidden meaning behind it, hoping to trick the media and left-leaning individuals into anger.
The footage in question was screened live before Germany began their World Cup campaign with a thumping 7-1 victory over debutants Curacao on Sunday.
The hand shape appeared similar to the incident surrounding a Paris 2024 official, who had his accreditation removed for appearing to make the gesture during a skateboarding final
The ‘OK’ symbol (seen bottom left) can be interpreted as an ‘expression of white supremacy’
Germany’s Felix Nmecha scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far after six minutes and Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz (two), Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav also netted in an easy outing for Julian Nagelsmann’s side.
But the biggest cheer from the 68,021 crowd came for Livano Comenencia’s 21st-minute equaliser for Curacao to score their first goal at a World Cup as they became the smallest nation by population size and area to play at the global finals.
Curacao’s sizeable support enjoyed their historic day out under Dick Advocaat, who became the oldest coach in World Cup history at the age of 78, and cheered to the end on an occasion perhaps most believed would never come.
‘We expected to do more against Germany, but they were too strong,’ Advocaat said.
‘We conceded three easy goals and 4-1 would have been a better score.
‘Despite this 7-1 outcome, the joy of the fans is fantastic. This is not a disgrace, we can still be proud. We still have two games to go and those could end differently.
‘The players will not be downcast, it was still great to play in this game.’
