GENEVA – A World Cup video review official said his hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign was caused by an involuntary twitch, and a FIFA committee concluded the Australian didn't breach the sport's disciplinary code.
FIFA’s discrimination monitor had called for Shaun Evans to be removed from the tournament.
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Evans worked Germany’s opening 7-1 win over Curaçao on Sunday as an assistant to the video assistant referee, based at the World Cup broadcast center in Dallas. When the official broadcast cut before the game to show the video review officials, Evans made an “OK” symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg.
“I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind,” Evans said in a statement released Monday by FIFA. “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.”
In 2019, the gesture — with thumb and forefinger touching in a circle and other fingers outstretched — was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League.
“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” said the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European soccer body UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games.
“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” Fare said in its statement, describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi.”
Evans is working at his second World Cup, and it was his first game of this year’s tournament.
“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 FIFA panel said in a statement. “The disciplinary committee has also taken note of Mr. Evans’ statement.”
The gesture was appropriated a decade ago as a signal for white supremacy that started as a hoax on the far-right online message board 4chan.
“Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” Fare said. “We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.”
The sign sparked global attention in March 2019 in New Zealand after it was made during the first court appearance by the white supremacist shooter who killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch.
Later in 2019 when the sign was designated as a hate symbol, Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, said context is key to interpreting whether an “OK” symbol is hateful or harmless.
At the time, he said: “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”
Evans is among 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA to work at this year’s World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am,” Evans said. “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 honor of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues for the rest of the tournament.”
Australia's Professional Football Referees Association said it welcomed the outcome of FIFA's review.
Evans, a referee in Australia's top-flight competition since 2012, “has consistently represented the values expected of football officials: professionalism, respect and integrity,” the PRFA said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.
“The PFRA celebrates diversity across football and unequivocally rejects racism, discrimination and extremist ideology in all forms,” the statement said. “We acknowledge Shaun’s public statement, in which he addressed the matter directly, and we recognize the importance of fairness, context and due process when concerns are raised.”
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AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia, contributed to this report.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup