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Aussie ref breaks silence amid World Cup racism saga
SEN • June 16th, 2026 11:35 am
The Australian World Cup referee at the centre of a controversial hand gesture which was broadcast around the world has broken his silence denying he was sending any kind of message.
Australian A-League referee Shaun Evans has avoided being sent home after the incident which drew widespread backlash agfter maiing a public statement and apology on the matter.
On Monday morning (AEST) Evans was caught on camera seemingly performing an upside down “OK” hand gesture which is a registered signal associated with white supremacy.
The images went viral during Germany’s 7-1 demolition of Curacao.
Evans was pictured alongside video referee Hamza El Fario and assistant Nicolas Gallo in the VAR headquarters for the Cup in Dallas.
While the gesture is synonymous to those supporting white supremacy and his behaviour has caused significant backlash, it is also linked with a practical joke among friends.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Despite the backlash, FIFA issued a statement confirming their position on Evans’ future at the tournament.
“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 Disciplinary Code.
“The Disciplinary Committee has also taken note of Mr Evans’ statement.”
