FIFA World Cup 2026 controversy: FIFA World Cup 2026 controversy: Has Australian match official really made ‘neo-Nazi’ hand gesture that resembles white supremacist sign or a simple involuntary twitch? Debate rages on
Evans worked at the World Cup broadcast center in Dallas as an assistant video assistant referee during Germany’s 7-1 opening victory over Curaçao on Sunday. When the official broadcast cut before the game to show video review officials, Evans made an “OK” sign with his right hand in front of his right leg.
“I did not deliberately make a hand gesture or symbol to convey any message, affiliation, vote or belief,” Evans said in a statement released by FIFA on Monday. “The only explanation I can give is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was not aware that I was making it at the time. Footage taken later during the match showed me repeating this movement over and over while holding a pen between my fingers.”
In 2019, the gesture in which the thumb and index finger touch each other in a circle and the other fingers are extended was described as a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League.
“The advice of our experts is that the gesture used is clearly similar to the upside-down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” said the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European football body UEFA, which monitors racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols in international matches.
In his statement, Fare described this move as “neo-Nazi” and said, “Frankly, this official should not have any other role to play in the World Cup.”
Evans is training in his second World Cup and this was his first match in this year’s tournament, the FIFA panel said in a statement. “FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee can confirm that, after reviewing the matter involving support video assistant referee Shaun Evans, it has found no evidence of a breach of FIFA’s disciplinary rules.” “The disciplinary committee also took into account Mr. Evans’ statement.”
The gesture was adopted as a signal of white supremacy, starting as a hoax on the far-right online message board 4chan a decade ago.
“Why does a VAR official use this symbol in a global football match when he knows the cameras are on him?” said the mouse. “In the next two matches we see that TV directors have stopped promoting the VAR panel to TV viewers.”
The sign sparked global attention in New Zealand in March 2019 after it was made during the first court appearance of the white supremacist gunman who killed 51 Muslim worshipers at two mosques in Christchurch.
When the sign was designated a hate symbol in late 2019, Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, said context was key to interpreting whether an “OK” symbol was hateful or harmless.
“The amount of hateful use is high enough that we thought it was important to include it,” he said at the time.
Evans is among 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA to work on this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“The news that followed this incident does not reflect who I am,” Evans said. “Of course, I understand how the gesture was interpreted and I regret it, but I would like to be very clear and say categorically that I did not knowingly or deliberately use the suggested hand symbol. Officiating at the World Cup is the greatest honor of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues throughout the remainder of the tournament.”
