World Cup white power controversy, explained: What to know about FIFA referee accused of making hand gesture

While Germany was en route to a 7-1 battering of Curacao on Sunday, one of the biggest stories of the match came from inside the video assistant referee (VAR) room.

Australian official Shaun Evans was seen by viewers making an "OK" hand gesture below his waist, which nowadays can be perceived as a "white power" symbol.

The incident has since provoked an outcry across social media, and the Fare organization, a group that seeks to eliminate racism and inequality in soccer, has called for FIFA to remove Evans from the tournament. FIFA, however, found no evidence of wrongdoing by Evans after "looking into" the situation. 

Here's the latest on what the Australian referee's gesture was and how it has stirred up controversy.

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World Cup white power controversy

In the (VAR) room of Sunday's Germany vs. Curacao game, which ended in a 7-1 rout in favor of the European side, controversy brewed after a game official was seen making an "OK" sign below his waist that also has negative connotations as a "white power" gesture. 

Evans, an Australian A-League referee from the Asian Football Confederation, was seen doing the sign against his thigh briefly on the broadcast. The footage can be seen below.

The anti-discrimination body Fare, an organization that combats racism and inequality in soccer, released a statement on Sunday night, per The Athletic. It said: "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.

"Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him? It can only be that he is intentionally transmitting a far-right neo-nazi symbol."

According to Sky News correspondent Rob Harris, Evans called his hand gesture an "involuntary, subconscious twitch."

Breaking: World Cup VAR official Shaun Evans says he did not “intentionally” make discriminatory gesture with his hand during a match and says it was an "involuntary, subconscious twitch"

“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 on Monday.

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What is the white power hand gesture?

The gesture Evans flashed featured his thumb and index finger touching while the other fingers of the hand were extended. While this has traditionally been recognized as a sign for "OK," its meaning in recent years has shifted to a "white power" symbol.

The three extended fingers spell W for White and the thumb and index finger creating a P symbolizes Power, according to The Athletic.

However, an old playground game has been cited as a potentially less controversial explanation. In grade school, some children show the sign below their waist and if another person looks down at the hand signal, they get punched in the shoulder. Australian news outlet SBS Sport thought that was what Evans was doing, saying "He got us good!," per the company's TikTok.

Who is Shaun Evans?

Evans is a referee from the Australian A-League, the top flight soccer league in Australia. He was born on October 21, 1987, according to MyFootball, making him 38 years old.

Evans began officiating in the A-League in 2008 as an assistant referee, and held the position until the end of the 2011/12 season. After this, he was promoted to an official referee ahead of the 2012/13 A-League season.

He is one of four referees from the Asian Football Confederation to be stationed in the VAR room at the 2026 World Cup, according to ESPN's World Cup referee list.

MORE: Which World Cup games featured the most red cards?

Where is Shaun Evans from?

Evans is from Victoria, Australia, according to Football Victoria. The referee has been present at both the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and this summer's edition.

He was born on October 21, 1987, making him 38 years old, and he has been a referee in the Australian A-League since the 2012/13 season.

FIFA investigating white power hand gesture

FIFA confirmed that it looked into the situation but found no evidence of wrongdoing by Evans.

"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 organization said in a statement