Story perspectives

FIFA Clears VAR Official Over Upside-Down “OK” Gesture

6/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)'s disciplinary committee found no evidence of breaches of the Disciplinary Code regarding VAR official Shaun Evans's hand gesture.
Evans returned to the match on Sunday (Monday, 02:00 BST).
He said the upside-down “OK” sign, listed as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2019, was an involuntary twitch.
The Fare network, FIFA discrimination monitor, urged Evans’s removal, calling the sign neo-Nazi.

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Story summary

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)'s disciplinary committee found no evidence of breaches of the Disciplinary Code regarding VAR official Shaun Evans's hand gesture.
Evans returned to the match on Sunday (Monday, 02:00 BST).
He said the upside-down “OK” sign, listed as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2019, was an involuntary twitch.
The Fare network, FIFA discrimination monitor, urged Evans’s removal, calling the sign neo-Nazi.