FIFA clears referee accused of making ‘White power’ gesture after he calls it ‘involuntary twitch’

FIFA has cleared the referee at the centre of a controversy over an alleged “White power” gesture, who has denied intentionally doing so and instead called it an “involuntary, subconscious twitch”.

Ahead of Germany’s 7-1 victory over Curaçao on Sunday, support video assistant referee Shaun Evans was pictured making the hand gesture for several seconds when match coverage cut to the video referee studio.

The gesture, in which the thumb and index finger touch while the other fingers of the hand are held outstretched, has historically been perceived as meaning OK.

However, in recent years, it has been used to symbolize ‘White power’, with the three remaining fingers spelling W for White and the thumb and index finger enabling a P to be drawn for Power.

The anti-discrimination Fare network, which specializes in challenging inequalities in football, said on Sunday that advice from its experts is that Evans’ gesture “clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘White power’ symbol in global far-right circles”.

FIFA initially said it was aware of the incident but declined to comment further but has now concluded Evans’ gesture did not constitute a breach of its disciplinary code.

A statement from Evans on Monday said: “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.

“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.”

A FIFA Disciplinary Committee statement said: “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.”

The Australian White supremacist Brenton Tarrant made the symbol during a 2019 courtroom appearance following his arrest for murdering 50 people in a shooting at mosques in New Zealand.

The symbol is characterized as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) but it warns that particular “caution” must be taken with this gesture. Its website says: “Because of the traditional meaning of the “okay” hand gesture, as well as other usages unrelated to white supremacy, particular care must be taken not to jump to conclusions about the intent behind someone who has used the gesture.”

The gesture has also been a playground game where one person makes the motion and if a second person looks down, they can receive a punch in the arm from the first.

Evans, a former bricklayer from the Australian state of Victoria, turned professional in 2o16, having been a part-time official in Australia’s A-League since 2008. He has officiated over 200 games in Australia’s top flight and is one of the country’s most experienced officials.

He became a FIFA referee in 2017 and was selected as a video assistant referee for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Evans has again been selected as a VAR at this summer’s tournament, rather than for on-field duties.

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