FIFA has been drawn into another controversy during the FIFA World Cup 2026 after a VAR official was accused online of making a hand gesture associated with white supremacist groups. The incident occurred before Germany’s Group E match against Curacao on June 15, when match officials were introduced to television viewers ahead of kick-off.
Incident Details
Australian referee Shaun Evans, serving as Video Assistant Referee for the match, appeared on the broadcast making a reversed “OK” hand sign while looking directly at the camera. The brief moment quickly spread across social media, where some users claimed the gesture resembled a symbol adopted by extremist groups in recent years. The controversy arises at a time when FIFA has been promoting anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns throughout the tournament.
Online Reactions
The controversy gained attention after several users shared clips of the moment online. One social media user criticized the gesture and urged others to spread awareness, arguing that the sign has become widely recognized as a symbol connected to white supremacist movements. The post also tagged FIFA and called for action from football’s governing body. Fans flooded social media with reactions. One fan wrote, “He's outed now, and forever unemployed unless he changes his name”. Another wrote, “There’s nothing more American than getting caught out by the circle game and react by claiming it’s racially motivated”. A third fan commented, “Absolute mad lad Now if he could just focus on making VAR less of a disaster, that'd be great”. Another user commented, “He’s gonna get sacked”, while one wrote, “haha! Evans showing he's a man on the outside but mentally throwing out the moves of an 8 year old”. However, many people disagreed with that interpretation. Several Australian users said the gesture looked similar to the “Circle Game,” a popular prank that has existed for years. In that game, a person creates a circle with their fingers below the waist and tries to trick someone into looking at it. If the other person looks, they traditionally receive a playful punch on the arm.
Calls for Action
Despite the differing opinions, anti-discrimination group Fare Network called for Evans to be removed from the World Cup officiating panel. The organization said its experts believed the gesture closely matched a hand signal that has been used by far-right groups around the world. The group questioned why such a sign would be displayed while cameras were focused on officials before a match.
Context of the Gesture
The “OK” hand sign has traditionally been used worldwide to indicate approval or agreement. However, the gesture became controversial after it was adopted by some extremist groups. It gained wider attention in 2019 when Christchurch mosque attacker Brenton Tarrant displayed the sign during a court appearance in New Zealand. Experts have also noted that the gesture still has many harmless meanings and is commonly used in everyday situations. As a result, determining intent can be difficult. FIFA and Shaun Evans had not publicly commented on the matter at the time of writing, while discussions continued across social media platforms.
