The Fare Network has urged FIFA to investigate a VAR official after he made a "white power" symbol during a World Cup game on Sunday, according to reports from itv.com. Shaun Evans, an Australian official, was seen forming an upside-down "okay" symbol with his right hand as cameras captured the team of video analysts before the match between Germany and Curaçao in Houston, Texas.
Symbol Deemed Hate Symbol
The gesture, created by touching the thumb and forefinger in a circle while extending the other fingers, was classified as a hate symbol in 2019 by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The Fare Network, a longtime partner of FIFA and UEFA in monitoring racist and discriminatory behavior at international games, labeled the symbol as "neo-Nazi."
Fare Network's Statement
"Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside-down 'okay' hand symbol used as a 'white power' symbol in global far-right circles," the Fare Network said in a statement. "Clearly, this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup." The organization also questioned, "Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?"
Origins of the Gesture
The gesture was originally popularized by children as the "circle game," where someone flashes an upside-down okay sign below their waist, and anyone who looks at it is punched in the shoulder. It was later co-opted as a signal for white supremacy about a decade ago, initially as a hoax on the far-right online message board 4chan.
Context and Intent
Evans' intention with the symbol remains unclear, and FIFA has been contacted for comment. When the sign was designated as a hate symbol, Oren Segal, director of the ADL's Centre on Extremism, emphasized that context is crucial in determining whether the gesture is hateful or harmless. He noted at the time that there was "enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add." Evans is among 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA to work at the World Cup, which is being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
