Watch: Controversial hand gesture during Germany’s match against Curacao in the 2026 World Cup goes viral | Football news
New Delhi: A controversy has arisen at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after referee Shaun Evans was accused of making a hand gesture linked to white supremacist groups during Germany’s match against Curacao in Houston. The moment came as the television broadcast switched to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room, with pundits claiming Evans made an upside-down ‘OK’ gesture.This gesture was the focus of previous disputes and was linked to far-right groups. According to reports, the same symbol was displayed by Brenton Tarrant during his court appearance in 2019 after the New Zealand mosque attacks that left 50 people dead. The BBC also listed the inverted “OK” sign among its recognized symbols of hate.He watches:Anti-discrimination network Fair Network urged FIFA to exclude Evans from the World Cup refereeing panel. The organization said in a strongly worded statement: “Our expert advice is that the gesture used clearly resembles the upside-down “OK” hand symbol used as a “white power” symbol in global far-right circles. She added: “Why would a VAR supervisor use this symbol at a global football event at the same moment he knows cameras are on him? He can only be deliberately conveying a far-right neo-Nazi symbol.”“We note that for the following two matches, the TV administrators appear to have stopped presenting the VAR board to the TV audience. The global TV audience should not be exposed to far-right extremist individuals using neo-Nazi symbols as they prepare to watch the match. Clearly this official should have no further role to play at this World Cup.”FIFA has not issued any response to these accusations yet.
