In Brief
- Australian referee Shaun Evans was filmed making an upside-down 'OK' symbol with his hand.
- The gesture has been co-opted as a white power symbol.
An Australian referee has been cleared by FIFA after being accused of making a gesture associated with white supremacy, amid calls for him to be stood down from the World Cup.
During Monday's Germany v Curaçao match, video assistant referee Shaun Evans was filmed in the VAR hub making an upside-down 'OK' symbol with his fingers against his thigh.
The symbol has been designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and has been associated with far-right groups.
It also features in the so-called "circle game" — a longstanding prank where someone flashes the sign below the waist, and anyone who looks at it gets punched in the shoulder.
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The gesture was co-opted a decade ago as a signal of white power, with three remaining fingers said to resemble a 'W' and the index and thumb forming a 'P'.
'An involuntary, subconscious twitch'
Evans, a 38-year-old Victorian and experienced A-League Men's referee, was one of the officials for Germany's 7-1 win over Curaçao.
He has denied any deliberate intent and said he wasn't aware of the gesture's history.
"I would like to clarify that I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind," Evans said in a statement.
"The only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch, and I was unaware I had done it at the time. Images taken later during the match showed that I repeated this movement many times while holding a pen between my fingers.
"The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am. Of course, I understand how the gesture has been interpreted, and I regret this."
"However, I want to be very clear and categorically say that I did not knowingly or deliberately make the hand symbol suggested.
"Officiating at the World Cup is the biggest honour of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues for the rest of the tournament."
Calls for Evans' removal
The Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European football body UEFA to monitor racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games, had called for Evans to be removed from the tournament.
"Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside-down 'OK' hand symbol used as a white power symbol in global far-right circles," Fare said in a statement.
"Clearly, this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup."
FIFA, however, found he had not breached its disciplinary code.
"FIFA's independent disciplinary committee can confirm that, after looking into the matter involving support video assistant referee Shaun Evans, it has found no evidence of breaches of the FIFA disciplinary code," the game's governing body said in a statement.
"The disciplinary committee has also taken note of Mr Evans' statement."
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
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