World Cup racism monitor urges FIFA to remove VAR official over gesture

FIFA’s discrimination monitor at the World Cup has called for a VAR official to be removed for appearing to make a hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign.

When the official broadcast of Germany’s opening game against Curacao on Sunday cut pre-game to show the team of video review analysts, Shaun Evans from Australia made an “OK” symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg. Though the game was played in Houston, video officials work in Dallas at the World Cup broadcast centre.

In 2019, the gesture – with thumb and forefinger touched in a circle and other fingers outstretched – was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

“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,” the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European football body UEFA to monitor racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games, said in a statement.

“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” Fare said in a statement, describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi”.

In Australia, the Professional Football Referees Association and governing body Football Australia were contacted for comment.

It was unclear if Evans, working at his first game at the World Cup, was making a political gesture or playing a children’s game prank.

The “gotcha” or “circle game” is where someone flashes an upside-down OK sign below their waist and punches the shoulder of anyone who looks at it.