Eagle-eyed fans spot World Cup referee making concerning gesture

A video assistant referee (VAR) official has raised eyebrows for appearing to make a hand sign before Germany’s World Cup opening match against Curaçao in Houston on Sunday.

The broadcast feed initially focused on the on-field crew before the camera showed the three officials who were assigned to handle reviews out of FIFA’s international broadcast center in Dallas.

Video referee Hamza El Fario and assistant Nicolas Gallo were seen sitting at a desk in front of their monitors while Shaun Evans, the supervisor, stood in the background.

Four seconds into their camera appearance, Evans, from Australia, appeared to flash an upside-down gesture with his right hand, where the thumb and index finder touched and the other fingers were outstretched.

The smiling official kept the hand sign steady for about eight seconds and then turned away.

Soccer fans who were glued to the televisions awaiting the start of the match immediately noticed Evans’ actions and uploaded the footage to social media, accusing the Football Australia referee of promoting white supremacy.

The California Post does not suggest Evans was making the sign for any particular reason, only that the apparent gesture caused others on social media speculate about it. 

The sign is also used as an innocent practical joke among friends.

“The [referee] in the VAR between Germany and Curaçao made a hand gesture that is associated with a white supremacy symbol. What a bizarre thing,” an X user said.

“The VAR team at #GERCUW. The guy on the left with the White Power sign,” another online looker claimed. “What are you going to do about it @FIFAcom?”

“The VAR referee, Shaun Evans, allegedly made a supremacist gesture during the World Cup match between Germany and Curaçao,” another user on the social media platform alleged.

“I don’t usually post controversial things but this is unacceptable,” one X user claimed.

“Watching the start of Germany vs Curaçao, the Australian replay official Shaun Evans gives the OK sign with his right hand. This is a known white supremacist sign. Please share.”

The Post reached out to FIFA for comment.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, white supremacists have used a similar gesture to express their ideological belief.

Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant flashed a “white power” sign while making a court appearance after killing 49 people at two New Zealand mosques in 2019.

The hand gesture has also been utilized by the far-right Three Percenters anti-government movement.

However, the move can also be seen as part of the “circle game” in which people attempt to trick each other into looking at an OK-like hand gesture made somewhere below the waist.

The incident comes three days after a Mexican government official was captured on camera making a slanted-eye gesture at a South Korean influencer during a World Cup match in Jalisco, Mexico.

Yoon Su-jin — who has nearly 9 million combined followers on TikTok and YouTube — was filming herself celebrating South Korea’s opener against Czechia on Thursday when College of Topographic and Geomatic Engineers of Jalisco President Ulises Bernal made the gesture behind her.

A spokesperson for the trade group, which trains and supports engineers, told The Post that they “deeply saddened by what is happening regarding this incident” and that Bernal “would be removed from office.”

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