Sean Evans explaining the hand with his hand.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Sean Evans was confirmed by FIFA after he shook his hand during the live broadcast of the World Championship, calling out the storm in social media and calling the vicious racist.

The worldwide investigation of the cases did not reveal any violation of the Disciplinary Code, and the arbitrator himself explained the incident under the whistleblower.

The scandal erupted a week before the match, when Germany defeated Curacao with a score of 7:1. At the hour of the traditional pre-match presentation of the refereeing team, the camera switched to the VAR room near Dallas. At this moment, 38-year-old Australian Sean Evans stood in front of the camera, and onlookers noted how the fingers of his right hand made an “OK” sign upside down..

This gesture has become the subject of heated debate, and as a result there are two completely different interpretations: The gesture is often discussed among followers in America and Europe. According to the rules, if a person shows an inverted “OK” sign below the waist and dares someone else to look at him, he has the right to hit him in the shoulder.

3 2017 Roku this sign of co-optation by far-right groups as a symbol of the supremacy of the white race (white power). In 2019, the Anti-Defamation League officially added it to the list of hate symbols, indicating that trolling tactics are popular in social networks.

The anti-discrimination measure Fare, which is in collaboration with FIFA, and the Kick It Out organization immediately called on the main body to investigate the referee's actions, pointing to the obvious similarity of the gesture with the symbol of the far right. After the investigation, FIFA published a statement confirming that no further disciplinary action against the Posadist would be taken and he would be barred from playing in the match until the end of the tournament..

Evans himself categorically threw out any rings at the present demonstration as a symbol of hatred.

" Of course, I understand that this gesture is interpreted, and I am sorry about it, but I want to clearly state that I am not knowingly or blatantly repeating the symbol of the hand. Photos taken later in the match showed that I repeated this move many times, holding my hand between my fingers,” said Sean Evans.

Judging by also adding that working in a tournament of such a level is the greatest honor in my career, and we intend to continue to finish our commitments. Even though Evans was cleared, the incident prompted FIFA to make adjustments to pre-match rituals.

Initially, as part of the global broadcast of the tournament, cameras showed VAR referees, who were specially called in front of the lens. However, after the match Nimechchina - Curacao, the approach noticeably changed: in the upcoming games, when the broadcast was switched to the VAR center, the referees were already turned with their backs to the camera and focused exclusively on their workers.

Apparently, Sean Evans is a referee who has been serving in the Australian A-Lysia since 2012 (including refereeing the 2019 Grand Final). He has been included in the international list of FIFA referees since 2017 and is already certified as a VAR assistant at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar..