Shaun Evans was seen making an upside-down ‘OK’ gesture in the VAR hub before Sunday’s match between Germany and Curacao which was quickly reported as a potential white supremacy gesture.
The gesture - with thumb and forefinger touching in a circle and other fingers outstretched has been associated with white supremacy and was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
However, despite calls for Evans to be removed from the competition, FIFA investigated the claims and “found no evidence of breaches of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”
Evans also spoke on the incident and revealed that he did not means to make the gesture that was widely misinterpreted.
"The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am," Evans said in a statement. "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.
"Images taken later during the match showed that I repeated this movement many times while holding a pen between my fingers. 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."
Evans will continue his role within the tournament's officiating team alongside 30 other video review analysts selected by FIFA to work at the World Cup being played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will feature 48 national teams and will be played in 16 modern stadiums.
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