Australian referee Shaun Evans has broken his silence following controversy over a hand gesture captured on camera before Germany's opening World Cup match. Evans, who was in the review box, faced accusations of making a "white power" symbol after appearing to form a circle with his fingers.

The gesture, where the thumb and forefinger touch to create a circle with the remaining fingers extended, was identified as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2019. This incident led to calls for Evans' removal from the tournament.

Referee's Statement on Gesture

Shaun Evans issued a statement to address the allegations, emphasizing that his actions were unintentional. Evans is an experienced official who has officiated at both international and domestic levels.

"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 stated. "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."

Evans expressed regret for the misinterpretation and its impact. "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."

He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to the tournament. "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."

Calls for Sacking and FIFA's Response

FIFA's discrimination monitor, the Fare network, had called for Evans' dismissal. Fare, a partner with FIFA and UEFA in monitoring discriminatory symbols, stated that the gesture clearly resembled an upside-down 'OK' sign used by far-right circles.

"Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup," Fare said in their statement, describing the gesture as "neo-Nazi". Fare questioned why a VAR supervisor would use such a symbol with cameras present and noted that subsequent broadcasts seemed to avoid showing the VAR panel.

However, FIFA's independent disciplinary committee investigated the matter and found no violations of the FIFA disciplinary code. The committee also acknowledged Evans' statement in their decision.

Origins of the Gesture

At the time of the incident, speculation suggested Evans might have been making a political statement or engaging in the "circle game," a prank where an upside-down OK sign is shown below the waist, followed by a punch to the shoulder of anyone who looks. This game gained popularity after an episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" in 2000.

The gesture was later appropriated by the far-right online community as a signal for white supremacy, initially as a hoax on the message board 4chan. It gained significant global attention in 2019 after being used by a white supremacist during his court appearance following the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.

Later that year, the ADL designated the symbol as a hate symbol, with Oren Segal, director of the ADL's Center on Extremism, noting that context is crucial for interpretation but that the volume of hateful usage made its inclusion important.