FIFA has launched inquiries into Australian referee Shaun Evans over a hand gesture captured on camera during a World Cup match, amid concerns it could be misinterpreted as racist, The Telegraph reports.
Evans, an A-League official from Australia, was working in the VAR booth during Germany’s fixture against Curaçao when broadcast footage appeared to show him looking toward the camera while making a hand signal now under scrutiny.
The governing body is examining whether Evans performed what has been described as “an expression of white supremacy”.
Officials are also assessing why he appeared to form the “OK” hand sign in an inverted position, a gesture that has previously triggered controversy in similar contexts.
The incident has drawn comparisons with a case linked to the Paris 2024 Olympics, where an official had accreditation revoked after being seen making a similar gesture during a skateboarding final.
In that episode, the individual, initially seen in Olympic Broadcasting Services attire but later identified as a subcontractor—was filmed behind athletes and coaches on two occasions performing the sign.
The finger-and-thumb formation, widely recognised as an “OK” symbol and also commonly used in emoji form, is typically understood as a sign of approval or reassurance.
However, it has in recent years been associated in some online spaces with far-right symbolism.
A 2019 BBC report highlighted how the “OK” hand sign was added to lists of hate symbols, though monitoring groups have urged caution in interpretation.
The Anti-Defamation League has noted that the “overwhelming usage” of the gesture remains benign, stating that “particular care must be taken not to jump to conclusions about the intent behind someone who has used the gesture”.
The ADL has also described the symbol’s controversial reinterpretation as a “popular trolling tactic” adopted by “Right-leaning individuals, who often post photos to social media of themselves posing while making the gesture”.
The symbol’s modern controversy is partly traced to an internet hoax originating on 4chan, where users falsely suggested the innocent hand sign carried a hidden meaning.
The VAR footage involving Evans was aired live ahead of Germany’s opening World Cup match, in which they defeated debutants Curaçao 7-1.
