Fifa seeks explanation over VAR official's hand gesture

An explanation is being sought by Fifa regarding a hand gesture made by video assistant referee Shaun Evans prior to the 7-1 victory by Germany over Curacao on Sunday.

Global coverage on the Fifa world feed briefly focuses on officials before matches. The referee and the team initially walk to the touchline whilst a graphic displays their names and roles, before the broadcast cuts to the VAR team at the referee hub in Dallas to briefly pose for the camera.

Evans stood with his arm by his side when the camera cut to the VAR room on Sunday, before he formed an upside-down 'OK' sign with the fingers of his right hand. The gesture carries two distinct meanings, with one being harmless and the other linked to white supremacy, prompting immediate speculation on social media.

Fifa is looking for answers from the Australian VAR official, sources told BBC Sport, though no official response followed multiple comment requests. Pre-match rituals changed noticeably after the match regardless of the outcome, as officials faced their monitors and did not look at the camera during three subsequent matches, though names remained displayed. Fifa offered no explanation for changing the referee hub shots.

The gesture by Evans closely resembles one from the circle game, a prank popularized by the American sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. The upside-down OK signal is formed below the waist, and a punch to the shoulder is delivered if another person looks at the hand.

The far right additionally began using the OK sign to communicate in 2017, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) added it to a list of hate symbols in 2019. The ADL describes the symbol as a popular trolling tactic used by right-leaning individuals on social media.

Clarification is being sought by the anti-discrimination Fare network, a partner of Fifa and Uefa. Experts advise that the gesture resembles an upside-down 'OK' symbol used as a 'white power' sign in global far-right circles, Fare stated.

The 38-year-old Australian official joined the Fifa referees list in 2017. Evans is an experienced VAR who officiated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he refereed in the Australian A-League since 2012, including the 2019 Grand Final.