FIFA Investigates Gesture by VAR Referee Evans During DFB Match Against Curaçao

According to "The Athletic," FIFA said it had taken note of the incident but initially made no further comment. Evans was already deployed as a video assistant at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; with more than 200 matches officiated in Australia's A-League, he is one of the most experienced referees in his country.

Reactions from Fare and ADL

The anti-discrimination network "Fare," which specializes in combating inequalities in football, reacted much more sharply. In a statement, it said: "Nach Einschätzung unserer Experten ähnelt die verwendete Geste eindeutig einem auf den Kopf gestellten ‚OK'-Zeichen, das in rechtsextremen Kreisen weltweit als Symbol für ‚White Power' verwendet wird." The organization asks: "Warum verwendet ein VAR-Beauftragter dieses Symbol bei einem internationalen Fußballturnier, gerade in dem Moment, in dem er weiß, dass die Kameras auf ihn gerichtet sind? Das kann nur bedeuten, dass er absichtlich ein rechtsextremes Neonazi-Symbol zeigt."

Fare drew a clear conclusion: "Es ist klar, dass dieser Offizielle bei dieser WM keine weitere Rolle mehr spielen sollte." The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which classifies the symbol as a hate symbol, pointed instead to the ambiguity of such gestures. The organization stated that, given the different meanings of the hand gesture, one "should not jump to conclusions about a person's intent when they use the gesture."

Ambiguous Meaning of the Gesture

Originally, the hand sign was regarded as a simple "okay" symbol and is still used as such in many countries today. Especially among young people, a game is also common in which the person making the sign playfully threatens to strike the other person, who is looking into the circle formed by the fingers. This everyday meaning makes classification in the specific case particularly difficult.

The debate comes at a time when international football is increasingly taking action against discrimination. Associations such as FIFA, UEFA, and national leagues have tightened guidelines in recent years and imposed sanctions for racist or far-right statements and symbols. Match cancellations and partial stadium bans have also already been issued.

Possible Consequences

According to the information available, Evans himself has not publicly commented on the incident so far. The Australian Football Association and the DFB also initially issued no statements. FIFA announced that it would review the matter, but left open what consequences a confirmed or refuted violation could have.

World Cup play continues in the meantime. Should FIFA conclude after its review that Evans did indeed use a racist symbol, this could, under the governing body's applicable rules, lead to a ban or exclusion from further assignments at this tournament. Fare had already demanded exactly this.