Controversial gesture by referee in VAR room

A hand gesture made by Australian official Sean Evans in the video assistant referee (VAR) room during Germany's 7-1 win over Curacao has sparked controversy. When the broadcast camera suddenly cut to the VAR studio, a gesture made by his right hand sparked widespread discussion on social media, with some interpreting it as a 'white power' symbol.

The controversial gesture, which involves the thumb and index finger together and the remaining three fingers extended, has long been used as a general 'OK' or consent gesture, but has recently been used as a 'white power' symbol by some far-right groups.

Following the incident, the Fair Network, an anti-discrimination organization in football, said in a statement that its experts believe the gesture is clearly similar to the upside-down 'OK' hand gesture, which is used as a 'white power' symbol in international far-right circles. The organization further questioned, “Why did he make such a gesture when the video assistant referee panel was in front of the camera at a global football event? It indicates a deliberate display of far-right symbols.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that monitors human rights and anti-discrimination symbols, says that although this gesture is used as a hate symbol in some cases, caution is needed in its interpretation. The organization’s statement is that it is not right to jump to conclusions about the intention due to the long-standing meaning of the ‘OK’ gesture and its non-extremist use.

The incident first spread on social media. One post said, “This is a familiar white supremacist gesture.” After that, criticism of the issue increased and discussions began in international football circles. However, world football’s governing body FIFA officially stated that they were aware of the incident. But FIFA has not commented in detail so far.

Sean Evans has been associated with international refereeing for a long time. He started working as a professional referee in 2016 and was added to the FIFA referee list in 2017. He served as a video assistant referee at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and is in the same role at this year's World Cup.