Fifa clears World Cup referee after ‘white supremacist’ hand sign row

16 Jun 2026 • 11:46 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Fifa clears World Cup referee after ‘white supremacist’ hand sign row

  • A World Cup 2026 video assistant referee, Shaun Evans, was seen on camera appearing to make a gesture resembling a white supremacist hand sign.
  • The incident occurred during a television broadcast of the VAR team working on Germany's 7-1 victory against Curaçao.
  • The gesture, an upside-down 'OK' sign below the waist, originated as a children's game but was designated a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League in 2019 after being adopted by white supremacist groups.
  • Evans stated that the hand sign was an 'involuntary, subconscious twitch' and not intended to communicate any message, affiliation, game or belief.
  • Following an investigation, Fifa's independent disciplinary committee cleared Evans, stating they found no evidence of breaches of the Fifa disciplinary code.

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