Controversial hand gesture during Germany vs Curacao (Screengrabs)

NEW DELHI: A controversy has emerged at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after referee Shaun Evans was accused of making a hand gesture linked to white supremacist groups during Germany’s match against Curacao in Houston. The moment came when the television broadcast switched to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room, with critics claiming Evans made an upside-down ‘OK’ sign.The gesture has been at the centre of previous controversies and has been associated with far-right groups. According to reports, the same symbol was displayed by Brenton Tarrant during a court appearance in 2019 after the New Zealand mosque attacks that left 50 people dead. The BBC has also listed the upside-down ‘OK’ sign among recognised hate symbols.Watch:Anti-discrimination body Fare Network has urged FIFA to remove Evans from the World Cup officiating panel. In a strongly-worded statement, the organisation said, “Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘White power’ symbol in global far-right circles. “Why is a VAR supervisor is using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him? It can only be that he is intentionally transmitting a far-right neo-nazi symbol,” it added.“We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience. A global television audience should not be subjected to extremist far right individuals using neo-Nazi symbols as they prepare to watch a match. Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup.”FIFA has not issued any response to the allegations so far.