{"id":36418,"date":"2026-06-16T17:57:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T17:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/world-cup-official-accused-of-white-power-gesture-breaks-silence-as-fifa-makes-decision\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T17:57:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T17:57:49","slug":"world-cup-official-accused-of-white-power-gesture-breaks-silence-as-fifa-makes-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/world-cup-official-accused-of-white-power-gesture-breaks-silence-as-fifa-makes-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup official accused of ‘white power’ gesture breaks silence as FIFA makes decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FIFA makes decision regarding Shaun Evans after referee is accused of white supremacist behavior<\/h2>\n
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June 15, 2026 22:58<\/span>Updated June 15, 2026 23:19<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Shaun Evans will not face any disciplinary action for making the ‘gesture’ before Germany’s game against Curacao.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
FIFA has confirmed that Australian video assistant referee Shaun Evans will not be disciplined after being accused of making a white supremacist gesture. The governing body said there was no evidence of a breach by the 38-year-old man, who denied the signs were any message or symbol conveying “any kind” of affiliation.<\/p>\n
The incident in question occurred as cameras panned to officials in the VAR room before Germany’s 7-1 win over Minnows Curacao. Mr Evans appeared to make an upside-down ‘OK’ sign with his finger, but the Melbourne-born official denied suggestions he did so on purpose.<\/p>\n
After the incident was revealed, there was a lot of speculation on social media, with some highlighting an underlying flirtatious nature. Some point out that the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) added the gesture to its list of hate symbols in 2019 after far-right supporters began showing it.<\/p>\n
“I want to be clear that I did not intentionally create any hand gestures or symbols to convey any kind of message, affiliation, game, or belief,” Evans said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“The only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary and subconscious spasm, and at the time I was not aware that I had done it. Images taken later during the match showed that I was repeating this movement over and over again with the pen between my fingers.”<\/p>\n
“The press coverage following this incident does not reflect who I am in any way. Of course, I understand how this gesture was interpreted and I regret it. However, I would like to say clearly and categorically that I did not intentionally or intentionally suggest the hand symbol.”<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficing at the World Cup is the greatest honor of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues in the remaining tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sign up now for the Make Football Great Again newsletter and get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox!<\/p>\n
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee took note of the statements made by Evans, who has been a FIFA international referee for nine years, and concluded the investigation, finding no evidence of any violation by him.<\/p>\n
Evans has been named one of four designated video assistant referees by the AFC (Asian Football Confederation), while George Lakridis and James Lindsay have been named referees in the federation.<\/p>\n
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Shaun Evans poses for an official FIFA portrait before the tournament. (Image: Carmen Mandato – FIFA\/FIFA via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Germany won with Kai Havertz scoring twice, but it was somewhat overshadowed by the pre-match controversy in the VAR room. (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant created the symbol when he appeared in court after being arrested for killing 50 people in the 2019 shootings at two mosques in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Months later, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced that the OK symbol had become a “popular trolling tactic” by “right-leaning individuals.”<\/p>\n
The gesture became mainstream in the 2000s after the TV comedy “Malcolm in the Middle” streamed it into homes around the world. This is associated with a playground game in which a person makes a symbol below the waist and anyone who looks at it is beaten.<\/p>\n
The BBC added the gesture to its list of hate symbols in 2019, and five years later, at the Olympics, a man who appeared to have made the gesture during the women’s skateboarding final was decertified.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Shaun](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37295850.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_122x176x1180x885-384x288.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"MIAMI,](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37295799.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2280391098.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Germany's](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37300685.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Germany-v-Curacao-Group-E-FIFA-World-Cup-2026.jpg\")
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