Australian referee Shaun Evans, who found himself at the center of a World Cup controversy, has insisted he was unaware of making a hand gesture that led to calls for his dismissal. FIFA has since cleared the official of any wrongdoing.
Incident at the World Cup
Evans was photographed inside FIFA's official VAR bunker making a circle shape with his thumb and index finger against his leg during Germany's 7-1 victory over Curacao on Monday morning (AEST). The upside-down "OK" symbol was interpreted by some as a reference to the "circle game," while others believed it was a gesture associated with white supremacy.
The 38-year-old Victorian was adamant he had done neither. The "gotcha" or "circle game" involves a person flashing an upside-down OK sign below their waist and delivering a punch to the shoulder of anyone who looks at it. However, the symbol was appropriated a decade ago as a signal for white power, with the three remaining fingers resembling a 'W' and the index finger and thumb making a "P."
Evans' Statement
"I would like to clarify that 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. "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. The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am. 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 honour of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues for the rest of the tournament."
FIFA Investigation
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, had called for Evans to be removed from the tournament. However, FIFA found that Evans had not breached its disciplinary code.
"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 game's governing body said in a statement. "The disciplinary committee has also taken note of Mr Evans' statement."
