Boss, buckle up and put down your beer, because this time something really happened that'll make you look away. At the World Cup, in a match like any other - Germany 7-1 against Curaçao - a referee managed to steal the show. Not with a foul, not with a card, but with a gesture that went around the world. Listen up!
Australian Shaun Evans, the VAR guy, was filmed making an inverted 'OK' sign. Now, you know that in recent years, well, the world has become more radicalized, this symbol was stolen by neo-Nazis and means 'White Power'. The Athletic, New York Post, Daily Mail - everyone wrote about it. This isn't some Facebook nonsense, it's a FIFA investigation!
The FARE organization, the one fighting racism in football, jumped like they were burned. They demanded Evans' immediate exclusion from the tournament. 'Why would a VAR supervisor make a far-right gesture exactly when he knows he's being filmed? The only explanation is that he intentionally transmitted a neo-Nazi symbol,' they said in their statement. And look, after the scene, TV directors didn't show the VAR team in the following matches. What, were they afraid of being caught again? Oh dear!
FIFA has opened an investigation. Now, bro, let's see what comes out. They'll probably say they're 'analyzing' and 'issuing a statement'. Until then, I'm not buying the story that it was an accident. The man has been a FIFA referee for 10 years, was at the World Cup in Qatar, he knows what he's doing. And if he knew, it's serious. If he didn't know, it's even worse - how can you not know about this symbol in 2026?
I'm watching the news and I feel like telling Gică Dinamovistul, who keeps annoying me with VAR: 'See, man, even our referees are smarter than these guys? At least they don't do Nazi stuff during the match.' But seriously, now it's both laughable and sad. I think Evans will pay dearly. And FIFA is right to cut the knot, otherwise the World Cup becomes a laughingstock. Until then, I'm going to show Brian the picture with the gesture and tell him: 'See, this is modern football, you don't know who to give your ticket money to anymore.'
