Dutch referee dies aged 38 weeks after being dropped from World Cup
By Adegboyega Adeleye Dutch football referee Rob Dieperink has died at the age of 38, just weeks after he was removed from FIFA’s list of match officials for the 2026 World Cup following a police investigation in the United Kingdom that was later dropped.
According to the BBC, Dieperink had been selected as a video assistant referee (VAR) for the tournament before FIFA removed him from the World Cup panel in May after he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in April over an allegation of sexual assault involving a teenage boy.” Dieperink began officiating in the Dutch Eredivisie in 2017 and also served as a VAR official at UEFA Euro 2024, earning recognition as one of the Netherlands’ leading match officials before his planned involvement at the 2026 FIFA World Cup came to an abrupt end.
This is a summary of the original articles listed below. Always read the source articles for the full context. GhanaSummary does not create or modify the news — we summarise and link to original publishers.
