Fifa referee Shaun Evans has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Image: AFP
FIFA has cleared World Cup referee Shaun Evans of any wrongdoing after the Australian official was accused of making a white supremacist hand gesture during a live television broadcast.
Evans, who was operating as the support video assistant referee (SVAR) during Germany's Group E fixture against Curacao on Sunday, was caught on camera placing the index finger and thumb of his right hand together to form a circle.
The gesture, which has been co-opted by certain far-right extremist groups online, was flagged by users on social media, triggering an immediate and mandatory investigation by football's global governing body.
In a formal statement released on Monday, Evans insisted the hand movement was entirely unintentional, a finding subsequently backed by Zurich officials.
"FIFA's independent Disciplinary Committee can confirm that, after looking into the matter involving support video assistant referee Shaun Evans, it has found no evidence of breaches of the FIFA Disciplinary Code," the governing body announced.
Evans explained that the captured movement arose from nothing more than an "involuntary, subconscious twitch."
"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," Evans said. "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.
"I understand how the gesture has been interpreted and I regret this deeply. However, I want to be very clear and categorically state that I did not knowingly or deliberately make the hand symbol suggested."
At the time of the incident, speculation was rife that Evans, working his second consecutive World Cup and making his first appearance at this edition, was either attempting to broadcast a deliberate political message or playing a common schoolyard prank.
The viral "gotcha" or "circle game", which surged in popular culture after featuring in an episode of the television comedy Malcolm in the Middle in 2000, involves a person flashing an inverted "OK" sign below their waistline, earning the right to playfully punch the shoulder of anyone caught looking at it.