FIFA Clears Referee of White Supremacist Gesture Allegation After Investigation

FIFA has cleared a World Cup official of allegations that he made a hand gesture associated with white supremacist groups, saying there was no evidence of any disciplinary violation.

In a statement released on Monday, world football's governing body said its independent disciplinary committee had investigated the complaint against Australian Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official Sean Evans and found no breach of FIFA's disciplinary code.

The controversy emerged after FIFA's anti-discrimination monitor called for Evans to be removed from duty during the tournament. The allegation stemmed from a broadcast image shown before Curaçao's match against Germany, in which Evans appeared to make a hand gesture resembling the "OK" sign — a symbol that has at times been linked to white supremacist groups.

During the broadcast of Sunday's match in Houston, television cameras briefly focused on the video review officials. Although the game was played in Houston, the VAR team was operating from the World Cup Broadcast Centre in Dallas.

Responding to the allegations, Evans said the gesture was entirely unintentional and was not intended to express support for “any message, ideology, organization, or belief.”

“All I can say is that it was an unconscious and inadvertent movement,” Evans said in a statement. “I was not aware of making the gesture at the time.”

He added that other photographs taken during the match showed him making similar hand movements while holding a pen between his fingers.

“The way this incident has been portrayed does not reflect who I am as a person,” Evans said. “I understand why some people may have interpreted the gesture differently, and I am sorry for that. However, I want to be absolutely clear that I did not knowingly or intentionally display the symbol referenced in the allegations.”

Following its investigation, FIFA concluded that there was no evidence of misconduct and officially cleared Evans of the accusation.