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The 2026 World Cup will have nearly 175 rules officials tasked with overseeing matches as the tournament unfolds. That includes Shaun Evans, a referee from Australia who oversees the video replay and who found himself in hot water for the hand signal he gave during a match between Germany and Curaçao.
The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and is made possible by the help of referees who have proven they have what it takes to hold their own on football’s biggest stage before being asked to work the tournament.
Fifty-two people were selected to serve as central referees during matches at the 2026 World Cup (although Omar Abdulkadir Artan of Somalia was banned from entering the United States due to alleged links to terrorism before it started), and they will be supported by the 88 assistant referees who earned the honor, as well as the 30 video assistants who oversee the VAR reviews.
The latter group includes Shaun Evans, a 38-year-old Australian who made his World Cup debut in Qatar in 2022 and was invited to this year’s edition. However, there is a chance that his time at the tournament could end prematurely due to the controversy he managed to stir with a wave of his hand.
World Cup video assistant referee Shaun Evans is at the center of a FIFA investigation into an ‘OK’ signal that has multiple meanings
On Sunday, Germany and Curaçao kicked off their World Cup runs in Houston in a match in which the former had no trouble with an opponent who ended up on the wrong side of a 7-1 score.
Jalal Jayed was the main referee on the pitch for that clash, but he had a supporting cast in the VAR room, including Evans, who was briefly captured during the broadcast in a shot that gave viewers a glimpse into the situation room.
However, he subsequently found himself at the center of controversy over the “OK” gesture he used subtly while looking at the camera.
Australian Shaun Evans has just made the move of all moves from the VAR room at the World Cup pic.twitter.com/0HK0dWrE11
— Matt Vandenberg (@M1D3V) June 15, 2026
According to the BCC, Fare, the anti-discrimination watchdog that works with FIFA, took issue with a gesture it says is “used as a ‘white power’ symbol in far-right circles” (it may have its origins in 4chan trolls who tried to undermine the meaning of the ‘OK’ sign in 2017, before it was unironically co-opted by figures who actually traffic in white supremacy).
However, things get a little murky when you consider that the symbol is also central to the “Circle Game,” a silly and largely harmless prank where you flash it below your waist and punch everyone you can see in the arm.
It seems like there’s a good chance Evans was trying to have some fun during his moment in the spotlight, but FIFA is reportedly “seeking answers” from him as it investigates the incident. The governing body has not issued an official statement, but it is worth noting that the broadcasts did not go into the VAR room during the three matches played after the match that Evans oversaw.
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