World Cup Referee Under Fire for 'Suspicious' Hand Gesture

Following the controversy over a Mexican fan's alleged racism toward Koreans, another issue has emerged at the World Cup stadium. Who is involved this time?

This time, a controversy has erupted over allegations that a current World Cup referee made a hand gesture associated with white supremacy.

Australian referee Shaun Evans served as a VAR official during the match between Germany and Curaçao held on the 14th (local time).

During the introduction of the officiating crew before the match, he was captured on camera making a specific hand gesture upside down.

While the gesture is commonly used to mean "OK," it has recently become controversial as some far-right groups and white supremacist factions have adopted it as a symbol of "White Power."

Human rights organizations that monitor racism in international matches in cooperation with FIFA have stated that "there is a clear similarity to the symbols used by international far-right groups." They are demanding an explanation as to why he made the gesture while aware that the camera was focused on him.

They also criticized the referee, arguing that he should no longer be allowed to officiate in this tournament.

In response, FIFA stated that it is aware of the matter, but has not yet released any further statement, and the referee in question has not offered any explanation.

(Source: X)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.