Call for Removal of VAR Official

FIFA’s discrimination monitoring partner, the Fare network, has formally requested the removal of an Australian Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official from the ongoing World Cup. The call stems from an incident during the pre-game broadcast of Germany’s opening match against Curacao, where the official, Shaun Evans, was seen making a hand gesture that has been linked to white supremacist ideology.

The incident occurred on Sunday when the live television broadcast cut to show the team of video review analysts. Evans, positioned in front of his right leg, made an 'OK' symbol with his right hand. Although the match itself took place in Houston, the video officials operate from the World Cup broadcast center located in Dallas.

The Symbol and its Controversial Associations

The gesture in question involves the thumb and forefinger touching to form a circle, with the other fingers extended. In 2019, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a New York-based organization, designated this symbol as a hate symbol. The Fare network, which collaborates with FIFA and UEFA to monitor discriminatory behavior at international football events, stated that their experts believe the gesture 'clearly resembles an upside down 'OK' hand symbol used as a 'white power' symbol in global far-right circles.'

In their statement, Fare emphasized that 'this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,' describing the gesture as 'neo-Nazi.' FIFA has been approached for comment regarding the incident. Similarly, both the Professional Football Referees Association and Football Australia, the governing body for football in Australia, have been contacted.

Ambiguity and Origins of the Gesture

It remains uncertain whether Evans, who was officiating his first World Cup game, intended the gesture as a political statement or if it was an innocent, perhaps prank-related, action. The 'OK' hand sign is also commonly associated with the 'circle game' or 'gotcha' prank. In this children's game, an individual flashes an upside-down 'OK' sign below their waist, and anyone who looks at it receives a punch on the shoulder.

However, the symbol's appropriation as a signal for white supremacy originated approximately a decade ago as a hoax on the far-right online message board 4chan. When the ADL designated the sign as a hate symbol in 2019, Oren Segal, the director of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, highlighted that context is crucial in determining whether an 'OK' symbol is used with hateful intent or is harmless. At that time, he noted 'enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add' it to their database.

Implications and Broader Concerns

Shaun Evans is one of 30 video review analysts chosen by FIFA to participate in the current World Cup, which is being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Fare network has raised questions about the official's conduct, asking, 'Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?'

The monitoring group also observed a subsequent change in broadcast practices, noting that 'in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.' This suggests that the incident may have prompted broadcasters to adjust how they present the VAR team, potentially to avoid similar controversies.

The request for Evans's removal underscores the heightened sensitivity surrounding symbols and gestures in public forums, particularly in high-profile international events like the World Cup, where global audiences and diverse cultures converge. The incident highlights the ongoing challenges in distinguishing between innocent actions and those that carry potentially offensive or discriminatory connotations, especially when symbols can be reappropriated and imbued with new, harmful meanings.

Source: World Cup racism monitor urges FIFA to remove VAR official over gesture