FIFA VAR Official Shaun Evans Faces Backlash Over Hand Gesture at World Cup Broadcast

A controversy erupted at the 2026 World Cup during the broadcast of Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao, after cameras briefly cut to the VAR room and showed Australian referee Shaun Evans making a hand sign that drew accusations of neo-Nazi symbolism. The gesture, with the thumb and index finger touching and the other three fingers extended, is widely known as the “OK” sign, but in recent years it has also been linked by extremist groups to white supremacist imagery.

Evans is an Australian FIFA referee and has worked for FIFA since 2017. He also served on the VAR team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The screenshot spread quickly on social media and sparked debate over the meaning of the gesture, while FIFA said it was aware of the incident but declined to comment further. Evans has not issued a public response, and no official explanation has come from him or the officiating crew.

The anti-discrimination group Fare issued a strong statement calling for Evans to be removed from the rest of the tournament. It said its experts viewed the gesture as “clearly” resembling an inverted OK sign used as a symbol of white supremacy in far-right circles worldwide. Fare also asked why a VAR official would use such a sign during a global football event, especially when cameras were on him.

At the same time, the meaning is not settled. The Anti-Defamation League says the sign can be a hate symbol in some contexts, but warns against jumping to conclusions because it is traditionally an “OK” sign and can be used innocently. Online users suggested it might have been a children’s hand game, but that has not been confirmed by Evans or FIFA. The incident comes as FIFA seeks to project a strong anti-racism message during the tournament, and it remains unclear whether the organization will act privately or impose a public sanction.