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The discrimination monitor for Fifa at the World Cup has urged the organization to dismiss a video assistant referee (VAR) following his apparent hand gesture reminiscent of a white supremacist sign.
During the broadcast of Germany’s opening match against Curaçao on Sunday, the camera captured Shaun Evans, the Australian VAR, making an ‘OK’ symbol with his right hand positioned near his leg. Although the game took place in Houston, the VAR officials operate from a broadcast center in Dallas. In 2019, this hand gesture was classified as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League based in New York.
According to a statement from the Fare network, a long-time collaborator with Fifa and Uefa in monitoring racist behavior, “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, “Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” labeling the gesture as “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”
Fifa has been approached for comments regarding the incident. Additionally, both the Professional Football Referees Association and Football Australia were contacted for their input.
The intent behind Evans’s gesture remains uncertain, as it was his first match officiating at the World Cup. It could have been a political statement or simply a prank.
