FIFA Clears Referee Over Gesture During Germany Game
FIFA found no breach after support VAR official Shaun Evans was accused of making a hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign during Germany’s opener; Evans said it was an involuntary twitch.
F IFA’s independent Disciplinary Committee has cleared support video assistant referee Shaun Evans after he was accused of making a hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign during Germany’s opening game against Curaçao, finding no evidence of any breach of its Disciplinary Code.
What happened
During the official broadcast, the Australian official made an "OK" symbol with his right hand near his right leg. FIFA’s discrimination monitor and the anti-discrimination group Fare, a long-time FIFA partner, called for Evans to be removed, with Fare saying the gesture "clearly resembles" a symbol used in far-right circles.
"An involuntary twitch"
Evans said the gesture was not intentional and was not meant to communicate any message or affiliation. "The movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was unaware I had done it at the time," he said. FIFA said it found no breach of its rules.
Reporting: based on reporting by Al Jazeera, NBC News and Deadline, June 16, 2026.