Geneva — FIFA’s discrimination monitoring body has called for the removal of a video review official from the World Cup after he appeared to make a hand gesture associated with white supremacist symbolism. The incident occurred during Germany’s opening match against Curaçao on Sunday in Houston.

During the official broadcast, the camera briefly cut to the video review analysts based in Dallas, where Shaun Evans, an Australian official, was seen making an “OK” hand sign with his right hand positioned in front of his right leg. This specific gesture, formed by touching the thumb and forefinger in a circle with the other fingers extended, has been identified by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a hate symbol since 2019.

The Fare network, a long-standing partner of FIFA and UEFA tasked with monitoring racist and discriminatory conduct at international football matches, issued a statement condemning the gesture. According to Fare, experts have advised that the symbol resembles an inverted “OK” sign used by far-right groups globally to signify “white power.” The organization described the gesture as neo-Nazi in nature and urged that the official be removed from any further involvement in the tournament.

FIFA was approached for comment on the matter, as were Evans’ national affiliations, including the Professional Football Referees Association and Football Australia, though no immediate responses were reported.

It remains unclear whether Evans’ action was a deliberate political statement or an instance of the “circle game,” a popular juvenile prank wherein a person flashes the sign below the waist and attempts to catch others looking at it before delivering a light tap to the shoulder. The sign originated as a hoax on the far-right online forum 4chan but was later co-opted by white supremacist groups as a coded symbol.

Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, noted in 2019 that context plays a crucial role in interpreting the use of the gesture. While acknowledging its appropriation by extremists, Segal emphasized that the symbol’s meaning depends on intent and environment, although the volume of hateful usage warranted its classification as a hate symbol.

The incident has drawn attention to the challenge of distinguishing between harmless gestures and those with discriminatory connotations, particularly in the highly visible environment of international sports.