Fifa’s discrimination monitor at the World Cup has expressed alarm over a video assistant referee (VAR) who appeared to make a hand gesture linked to white supremacist movements. During Germany’s opening match against Curaçao on Sunday, Shaun Evans, an Australian referee, was observed forming an ‘OK’ symbol with his right hand, positioned in front of his right leg. While the match occurred in Houston, the VAR officials were operating from a broadcast center located in Dallas.
This gesture, defined by the thumb and forefinger creating a circle with the other fingers extended, was designated as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League in 2019. The Fare network, which collaborates with Fifa and Uefa to track racism and discrimination in international sports, stated, “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,” They further asserted that “Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” categorizing the gesture as “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”
Fifa has not yet responded to requests for comments, and inquiries were also made to the Professional Football Referees Association and Football Australia for their perspectives. It remains unclear whether Evans, officiating in his debut World Cup match, intended a political statement or was simply engaging in a children’s game prank.
This gesture, often referred to as the “Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” or “We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.” involves displaying an upside-down ‘OK’ sign below the waist, followed by tapping the shoulder of anyone who notices it. This action was appropriated around a decade ago as a symbol of white supremacy, stemming from a hoax on the far-right online forum 4chan.
Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Centre on Extremism, emphasized the significance of context in determining whether an “OK” gesture is harmless or hateful. In 2019, he stated, “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”
Evans is one of 30 VAR officials selected by Fifa for the World Cup being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Fare voiced their concerns, questioning, “Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” They also noted that television directors seemed to stop introducing the VAR panel to viewers in subsequent matches.
