FIFA clears Australian VAR assistant Shaun Evans over alleged racist gesture
New Delhi, June 16
The Australian referee Shaun Evans, who was accused of making a racist hand gesture ahead of Sunday's FIFA World Cup game between Germany and Curacao, has been cleared by FIFA of any wrongdoing.
When the pre-game broadcast cut to the video review team, the Australian analyst was spotted making an upside-down 'OK' gesture, which is widely associated with white supremacy groups.
An upside-down OK signal is a prank popularised by the classic "Circle Game" (and the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle). If you trick someone into looking at the hand gesture, you get to punch them in the shoulder.
But in 2017, the 'OK' sign also began to be used by the far right to communicate to each other. The sign was added to a list of hate symbols by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2019.
The 38-year-old Evans, who has been on the FIFA list of referees since 2017, is an experienced VAR who was also appointed to officiate at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In his statement, the Australian referee said that the gesture was an "involuntary, subconscious twitch."
"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."
After investigating the matter, FIFA said that it found "no evidence" of FIFA Disciplinary Code breach, taking note of Evans' statement.
"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 Disciplinary Committee has also taken note of Mr Evans' statement," FIFA's Disciplinary Committee said in a statement," the governing body said in its statement.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I'm not entirely convinced. Even if it's a "twitch," he's a professional referee at the highest level. He needs to be aware of what gestures he's making. The ADL added it to their list for a reason. But I'm glad FIFA did a proper investigation instead of jumping to conclusions. Let's see how he conducts himself going forward.
As an Indian who's been a football fan for decades, I find this whole controversy overblown. We have so many real issues in the world - poverty, war, climate change - and people are getting worked up over a hand gesture that could mean anything? Let the man do his job at the World Cup. Focus on the actual game, na? ⚽🇶🇦
Honestly, the 'Circle Game' is an international phenomenon - we used to play it in school in Bangalore too! I think people are just too sensitive these days. But at the same time, I appreciate that Evans took it seriously and explained himself clearly. Shows character. Props to FIFA for clearing him based on evidence! 🌟
I'm sceptical. An "involuntary subconscious twitch" that just happens to look like a known hate symbol? And he repeated it multiple times? Come on. FIFA just wanted to avoid a scandal before the World Cup. This sets a bad precedent. Officials need to be held to a higher standard, especially in a global event like this.
Yaar, in India we have so many hand gestures with different meanings - the 'OK' sign can also mean 'money' in some parts!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.