Was World Cup referee's hand gesture a white power sign or a 'gotcha' prank?

Charles Curtis, For The WinMon, June 15, 2026 at 11:52 AM UTC

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Was World Cup referee's hand gesture a white power sign or a 'gotcha' prank?

An Australian referee is under fire due to a gesture he made when he was shown before the Germany and Curaçao match on Sunday. But was it a subtle gesture to "white power"... or a prank that went seriously wrong?

Let's explain: Australian referee Shaun Evans was working the game as a VAR official, and when the cameras cut to the video review team for the match, Evans had his right hand near his thigh and formed the traditional "OK" symbol with his thumb and pointer finger in a circle and his other three digits extended.

That has become a hate symbol for "white power" but there's some confusion because there's also an old-school prank in which you make the upside-down version of the "OK" symbol and anyone who sees it gets punched in the arm. It's known as the "circle game."

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Is FIFA investigating the referee for the hand symbol?

The Athletic reports that "A FIFA spokesperson said the organization was aware of the incident but declined to comment further."

Do viewers think the symbol was a white power gesture?

Per The :

"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," the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European soccer body UEFA to monitor racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games, said in a statement.

"Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup," Fare said in a statement, describing the gesture as "neo-nazi."

This might be a case of a prank that has gone very wrong, and if so, it's a good idea for everyone to stop playing the "circle game" altogether if the gesture is associated with something much, much worse. We'll keep you if Evans faces disciplinary action.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Did World Cup referee do white power sign or gotcha prank?

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Source: “AOL Sports”