In the midst of the World Cup, FIFA is investigating an unusual request to dismiss Australian referee Shaun Evans after he made a simple hand gesture during the official broadcast of the match between Germany and Curacao, which some interpreted as a supposed symbol of "white supremacy".
The scene occurred before the match began, when the broadcast showed the VAR team in the transmission center located in Dallas. There, Evans, one of the 30 video officials selected for the tournament, was seen making an “OK” sign with his right hand.
However, that image was enough for delirious accusations to arise. The hand position, with the thumb and index finger forming a circle and the other fingers extended, was associated by some sectors with a supposed "hate symbol" categorized in 2019 by the Anti-Defamation League, according to an article published in The Guardian.
The gesture of referee Shaun Evans
From that interpretation, the FARE network (Football Against Racism in Europe), an organization that collaborates with FIFA and UEFA in detecting discriminatory behaviors, directly requested the exclusion of the referee from the tournament.
In a statement cited by the same outlet, they stated: “The advice of our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an inverted ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a symbol of ‘white power’ in global far-right circles.” They also added: “Clearly this official should not play any other role in this World Cup.”
Referee Shaun Evans
Nevertheless, the claim raises obvious questions about the proportionality of the request. So far, there is no confirmation that Evans made the gesture with any political or ideological intent. On the contrary, the very context in which it occurred demonstrates that it was a completely harmless gesture.
It is very likely that the referee was performing the so-called “circle game,” a childish prank popular in various countries, where a person makes an “OK” sign below the waist and tries to get another person to look so they can then punch them on the shoulder.
Even so, the controversy is already established and forces FIFA to take a position on a claim that is extremely disproportionate in relation to a harmless gesture that is widely used in everyday life.
