VAR Official Shaun Evans Cleared by FIFA, Returns to Duty

Video assistant referee official Shaun Evans will return to duty for New Zealand's game against Egypt on Sunday (Monday, 02:00 BST).

The Australian will act as the assistant VAR official to Mohammed Khamid for the Group G match in Vancouver.

It is Evans' first appointment since a Fifa investigation cleared him of making an inappropriate hand gesture, captured by the television cameras, before Germany's 7-1 win over Curacao.

The 38-year-old could be seen making the fingers of his right hand into an upside down 'OK' sign when Fifa cut to a shot of the VAR team at the referee hub in Dallas.

Such a gesture has an association with an expression of white supremacy.

Evans insisted it was "an involuntary, subconscious twitch" and denied "intentionally" attempting to "communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind".

World governing body Fifa said after looking into the matter it found "no evidence of breaches of the Fifa Disciplinary Code".

The incident was immediately the subject of a huge amount of speculation on social media.

"The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am," Evans said in a statement issued by Fifa.

"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."