FIFA is seeking an explanation over a hand gesture made by video assistant referee Shaun Evans before Germany's 7-1 win over Curacao on Sunday.
The report indicates that fIFA is seeking an explanation over a hand gesture made by video assistant referee Shaun Evans before Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao on Sunday.
It further notes that before matches during the World Cup, FIFA has been briefly focusing on the officials as part of its global world feed coverage.
First, the referee and the rest of his team have walked to the touchline, and a graphic displaying their names and roles has been displayed.
Then the picture cuts to the VAR team at the referee hub in Dallas.
Rather than showing them at work and looking at their monitors, they have also briefly posed for the camera, with their names appearing on screen.
When the camera cut to the VAR room on Sunday, Evans was standing with his arm by his side – and then could be seen making the fingers of his right hand into an upside-down ‘OK’ sign.
Such a gesture has two very distinct meanings – one harmless and the other connected to an expression of white supremacy.
The incident was immediately the subject of a great deal of speculation on social media.
BBC Sport has approached FIFA multiple times for comment or clarification, but as yet there has been no official response.
However, BBC Sport has been told by sources that FIFA is looking for answers from the Australian VAR official.
Whatever the outcome, there was a noticeable change in approach for pre-match rituals after the Germany-Curacao game.
When the VAR hub was shown in three subsequent matches, the officials were already facing the monitors. We no longer saw them looking at the camera, although their names were still displayed.
The gesture made by Evans is very similar to the one used in the circle game, a prank that came to prominence in the US sitcom Malcolm in the Middle and became an internet meme.
An upside-down OK signal is made with the hand below the waist.
