World Cup official probed over ‘white supremacist’ hand signal

FIFA is reportedly looking into a US World Cup official who appeared to make an ‘OK’ hand gesture before Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao, reviving one of the internet’s more absurd culture-war panics.

Australian referee Shaun Evans, who was working as a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) supervisor for Sunday’s match, appeared on the official broadcast before kick-off as the video review team was shown, looking into the camera and making an upside-down OK sign.

The anti-discrimination group Fare, a long-time FIFA partner, called for Evans to be removed from the tournament, saying the gesture “clearly resembles” a symbol used as a white-power sign in 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?” Fare said. The group described the gesture as “neo-Nazi” and said Evans should have no further role at the World Cup.

FIFA has said it is investigating the incident and is seeking an explanation from Evans.

The OK sign has been used for decades to signal approval or that everything is fine. The version Evans appeared to make also resembles the ‘circle game’, a schoolyard prank in which someone forms the sign below the waist and tries to make others look at it.

The supposed racist meaning was popularized in 2017 by 4chan users, who launched a trolling campaign to convince left-wing journalists and activists that the ordinary hand gesture was secretly a white-power symbol.

Much of the media and rights groups, such as the Anti-Defamation League, took the bait, adding the OK sign to their lists of ‘hateful’ symbols alongside the swastika and Ku Klux Klan robes.

Since then, people caught using the gesture have repeatedly come under attack from activist organizations, facing accusations of racism and in some cases losing their jobs and getting banned from venues. The recurring scandals have fueled public anger at media outlets and activist groups accused of turning ordinary gestures into racism controversies.

While FIFA has not yet announced any action against Evans, doing so would likely draw further backlash from fans who are already outraged with the organization over the high ticket prices, expensive stadium concessions, and widespread transportation issues. The issues with the latest World Cup have also fed into wider grievances with FIFA’s history of corruption, politicized host selections, and increasing commercialization of the game.

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