Dallas: World Cup official says twitch caused gesture resembling supremacist sign
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Why is the ‘OK’ gesture considered racist? - CTV News
FIFA investigates hand gesture
FIFA sought an explanation regarding a hand gesture made by video assistant referee Shaun Evans before the Germany versus Curacao match on Sunday. During the World Cup, FIFA’s global coverage includes brief segments focusing on officials before matches. This typically involves the referee and their team walking to the touchline, followed by a shot of the VAR team at the referee hub in Dallas.
On Sunday, the camera showed Evans making an upside-down ‘OK’ gesture with his right hand. This gesture has multiple interpretations, including a harmless prank known as the circle game, and a symbol associated with white supremacy.
Social media immediately saw significant speculation following the incident. While FIFA did not provide an immediate official response, sources indicated that the organization was seeking answers from the Australian VAR official. Anti-discrimination organizations, including the Fare network and Kick It Out, also sought clarification from FIFA regarding the gesture.
Official responds and FIFA committee findings
Shaun Evans stated that his hand gesture, which resembled a white supremacist sign, was an involuntary twitch. FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee concluded that Evans did not breach the sport’s disciplinary code. The committee reviewed the matter and considered Evans’s statement.
Evans, who served as an assistant to the video assistant referee for Germany’s opening 7-1 win over Curacao, made the ‘OK’ symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg when the broadcast cut to the video review officials. He clarified that he did not intentionally make a hand gesture to communicate any message, affiliation, game, or belief. He suggested the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch, and he was unaware of it at the time. Images from later in the match reportedly showed him repeating this movement while holding a pen.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) designated the gesture as a hate symbol in 2019. The Fare network, a partner of FIFA and UEFA in combating racism, stated that their experts advised the gesture clearly resembles an upside-down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in far-right circles globally. The Fare network also suggested that Evans should not continue his role in the World Cup.
Impact and future for officials
Following the incident, there was a noticeable change in the pre-match rituals for subsequent games. In the three matches after the Germany-Curacao game, the VAR officials were shown facing their monitors, rather than posing for the camera, although their names were still displayed. FIFA has not provided an explanation for this change in approach.
Evans, who is 38 years old, has been on the FIFA list of referees since 2017 and has experience as a VAR official, having also been appointed for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He has been a referee in the Australian A-League since 2012 and officiated the Grand Final in 2019. He is one of 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA for this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Evans expressed that the coverage following the incident does not reflect who he is and that he regrets how the gesture was interpreted, but he did not knowingly or deliberately make the symbol suggested.
The gesture gained global attention in March 2019 after it was made during a court appearance by a white supremacist shooter in Christchurch, New Zealand. The ADL noted in 2019 that while the symbol can be harmless, its use for hateful purposes warranted its inclusion as a hate symbol, with context being key to interpretation. Evans stated that officiating at the World Cup is the biggest honour of his career and he looks forward to supporting his colleagues for the rest of the tournament.
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Source: bbc.com
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