Gestures can be an important factor in societies as a whole. It can be an indicator of what a person wants or needs. This is especially true of sports. Specific gestures mean a certain decision has been made. All sporting gestures should be harmless.
However, a simple referee gesture at the ongoing FIFA World Cup has people talking because of the offensive nature it's brought up.
The referee, Australian officia, Shaun Evans, was on the crew in charge of Germany's blowout 7-1 victory over Curacao; when he was seen staring into the camera before kick-off. Evans appeared to use the 'ok' hand gesture, which is also a popularly used emoji.
The hand gesture has been used by members of white supremacist movements since 2017 and originates from a series of conspiracy theories from the message board 4chan.
The Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA that monitors racist and discriminatory chants and symbols at international games, said the gesture was "clearly" used to resemble white supremacist ideology.
"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 said in their statement.
"Why is a VAR supervisor 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. We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience."
The statement continued: "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."
Evans was captured placing his index finger and thumb together to create an "O" figure with his right hand in front of his right leg during Sunday night’s broadcast of Germany’s opening game against Curaçao. Evans was in an off-site booth for video referees.
He added: "The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am. Of course, I understand how the gesture has been interpreted, and I regret this; however, I want to be very clear and categorically say that I did not knowingly or deliberately make the hand symbol suggested. Officiating at the World Cup is the biggest honour of my career, and I look forward to supporting my colleagues for the rest of the tournament."
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has stated that this symbol has become a "popular trolling tactic" used by "right-leaning individuals," who often post it. Evans stated he had no knowledge of this and did so involuntarily, while pointing out that he also does so in other images and even during games.
A statement from Shaun Evans read: "I would like to clarify that I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to communicate a message, affiliation, game, or belief of any kind."
FIFA had been investigating the inciden but found no wrongdoing. FIFA’s disciplinary committee has cleared Australian video referee Shaun Evans of any wrongdoing after he was accused of making a hand gesture associated with white supremacists during a broadcast.
An investigation published yesterday by football’s governing body said it had found no evidence that Evans had breached FIFA’s disciplinary Code and the hand gesture was innocuous. Evans also later published a statement denying all allegations.
"The only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was unaware I had done it at the time. Images taken later during the match showed that I repeated this movement many times while holding a pen between my fingers"
"Of course, I understand how the gesture has been interpreted, and I regret this; however, I want to be very clear and categorically say that I did not nowingly or deliberately make the hand symbol suggested. Officiating at the World Cup is the biggest honour of my career, and I look forward to supporting my colleagues for the rest of the tournament."
Meanwhile, the opening match last week brought out multiple talking points.
He was the undisputed star of the World Cup's opening match. Brazilian referee, Wilton Sampaio, hit the headlines after brandishing three red cards – two for South Africa and one for Mexico. That wasn't all. The official's actions also went viral due to the unusual accessories he wore during the game and h less-than-fluent English.
Let's take things in order. With just minutes left on the clock, South African winger, Themba Zwanestruck a Mexican player in the face. Initially, Sampaio missed the incident and was called to the VAR monitor, subsequently deciding to send the player off. This is where things truly went viral.
As South African fans and staff protested, the Brazilian referee attempted to explain his decision in questionable English. So much so, that even the players on the pitch appeared confused by his explanation.
Then there were the accessories. The real novelty of this World Cup is the conspicuous camera positioned above the referee's left ear. This is the 'Ref Cam', which has been seen in Serie A (Italian league); though with a difference. In that league, referees wear it above their microphone; leaving one ear uncovered. Here, however, it's different.
At the World Cup, the two accessories are separate, creating a rather picturesque array of gadgets. For this equipment, used in the North American event, FIFA partnered with Lenovo, requesting software to reduce vibrations during the referee's movement, thereby making the footage as stable as possible.
During Thursday’s opener between Mexico and South Africa, according to reporter, Romain Molina, players were told to hold on resuming play (after the cooliNg break) because television broadcasts were still running commercials
Some viewers watching at home missed the restart entirely while sitting through advertisements. That didn't go over well with fans.
"FIFA is making a lot of money already from sponsors. We don’t need ads," one fan stated.
"They actually use cooling break excuse just to get commercial break. That’s how it works," another wrote.
“The players were yelling at the ref during the second break and restarted early. They already had had enough by the second hydration break and just started playing again, that’s why the Fox feed missed a few seconds," one fan commented.
"It’s obvious they want to make their money back," another angry fan shared.
Inside a packed Estadio Azteca with more than 80 000 supporters, Mexico wasted no time. Julian Quinones slipped a finish through the legs of South Africa goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, inside nine minutes to open the scoring.
It was the fastest goal in a World Cup opener since Philipp Lahm scored six minutes into Germany’s first match in 2006.
Raul Jimenez added a second-half header to put the result beyond doubt. The disciplinary side of the match then took over. South Africa finished with nine men after two red cards; including one to Themba Zwane following a VAR review involving Roberto Alvarado. Cesar Montes was also sent of for Mexico in stoppage time.
Three dismissals in a single World Cup opener set a new record and left the tournament just one red card short of the total from the entire Qatar World Cup four years ago.
It seems to me that the gesture was a bit of an overreaction. Not all gestures can be questioned. As seen above, not everyone is aware of every single gesture in existence. There are times when people have to cut others some slack.
Referees need to be clear and concise. Miscommunication just causes confusion and problems. There's no room for such problems in the game of football.