FIFA Clears VAR Official After Hand Gesture Viewed As White‑Power Symbol

Overview

• A televised shot of the VAR team showed Australian official Shaun Evans making a hand movement that many viewers and watchdogs linked to an inverted “OK” gesture used by some extremist groups, an image first shared widely on social media during the Germany–Curaçao match on Sunday, June 14.
• FIFA asked Evans for an explanation, the independent Disciplinary Committee reviewed the footage and his statement, and the panel concluded there was no evidence of a breach of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and archived the case.
• Evans said the movement was an involuntary “spasm,” denied any intentional political or racist meaning, and said he repeated similar motions while holding a pen during the match.
• Fare, FIFA’s long‑term discrimination monitor, urged Evans’ removal and said the gesture clearly resembled a white‑power symbol, while the ADL cautioned that the same hand shape can have ordinary uses and that context matters.
• Broadcasters reportedly stopped showing VAR‑room presentations in later matches, a step that highlights immediate reputational and operational effects and could prompt new rules on how remote VAR teams are filmed and monitored.