Did the Referee Know? World Cup Official's Hand Gesture Sparks Racism Controversy

Australian Referee Faces Allegations Over White Supremacist Gesture
FIFA Says "We Are Aware of the Matter"

Controversy has erupted over allegations that a World Cup referee made a hand gesture during a match that is known as a symbol of white supremacy.

According to U.S. sports media outlet The Athletic and others on June 15 (local time), Australian referee Shaun Evans became embroiled in controversy after a hand gesture he made was captured on the match broadcast. He served as the VAR referee in the match in which Germany defeated Curaçao 7-1 the previous day.

Evans appeared on camera during the introduction of the refereeing team before the match began. At this time, he looked at the camera while making an upside-down 'OK' hand gesture, and this scene was broadcast as is.

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While this gesture has traditionally been used to mean 'OK,' it has recently become controversial as some far-right groups and white supremacist movements have adopted it as a symbol of 'White Power'—a slogan representing white supremacy. The three raised fingers are interpreted as forming a 'W' for 'White,' while the circle formed by the thumb and index finger represents a 'P' for 'Power.'

A spokesperson for FIFA stated, "We are aware of the matter," but did not provide any further comment. Evans also has yet to make any statement on the issue.

In response, the human rights organization 'Fair Network,' which works to eradicate racism, issued a statement asserting, "This gesture has a clear similarity to white supremacist symbols used among international far-right groups." The organization added, "An explanation is necessary as to why such a symbol was used when the referee was aware he was on camera."

The statement also criticized, "It appears that in the following two matches, the scenes introducing the VAR refereeing team to viewers were discontinued," and added, "The referee in question should not be assigned any further roles in this World Cup."

This is not the first time such a controversy has occurred. In 2019, Major League Baseball (MLB) team Chicago Cubs banned a fan from the stadium after the fan made the same hand gesture behind the NBC Sports broadcast. At the time, the club explained, "An individual who made an offensive hand gesture associated with racism was caught on camera."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.