World Cup 2026: FIFA clears referee after alleged white supremacist gesture | OneFootball

FIFA has cleared Australian referee Shaun Evans after a hand gesture seen on a World Cup broadcast was linked to white supremacist symbolism. The governing body said he can continue officiating at the tournament.

The incident came on Sunday just before Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao, when a live shot of the VAR team showed Evans making a hand sign to the camera, his thumb and index finger forming a circle with the other fingers pointing down.

In recent years the gesture has been widely adopted by white supremacist groups, amplified by users of the forum 4chan, and associated with the phrase white power, with three fingers read as a W and the circle as a P.

A FIFA disciplinary council met on Monday to review the matter.

Evans said on Monday evening that he regretted how the gesture was interpreted and that he did not make it deliberately or knowingly. He added that other footage shows him repeating the motion while holding a pen, and said it does not reflect who he is.

Source: Le Progres