Rob Dieperink, the Dutch referee who was dropped from the 2026 World Cup after a sexual-assault allegation that was later shelved, was found dead at his home in Borculo on Monday at the age of 38. The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said it was “shocked and deeply saddened”, describing Dieperink as a highly valued official and a dedicated colleague. Police attended the scene and opened an investigation, but Dutch media reported that the involvement of a third party had been ruled out. No cause of death was made public. Dieperink had worked as a video assistant referee (VAR) during a friendly between Go Ahead Eagles and Apollon FC the previous day.

The sequence that ended his World Cup began in April, when he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in London. He had been in the city to officiate the Conference League quarter-final between Crystal Palace and Fiorentina. British authorities investigated an allegation of sexual assault involving a 17-year-old, but the case was closed within weeks. A police spokesman later confirmed that “the evidential threshold had not been met” and that no further action would be taken. Dieperink consistently maintained his innocence, telling the newspaper De Telegraaf that he had cooperated fully and was “very sad” to have been wrongly accused.

Despite the investigation being dropped, FIFA removed Dieperink from its list of match officials for the 2026 tournament in May. The decision, which the governing body confirmed in a brief statement, drew a sharp reaction from the referee. “It is a pity that FIFA has decided not to appoint me for the World Cup anymore; of course I am disappointed about that,” he said. The KNVB, by contrast, stood by him, arguing that there were no grounds to stop assigning him domestic matches and pledging to support his return to the Eredivisie for the new season.

Dieperink had been a VAR at Euro 2024 and had officiated in the Dutch top flight since 2017. His place at the World Cup was taken by the French referee Willy Delajod, who went on to form part of the officiating team for Argentina’s round-of-16 victory over Egypt. The death, coming as the tournament enters its decisive phase, has been met with an outpouring of condolence from across European football, with the KNVB’s statement noting that the refereeing community had lost “a greatly appreciated official with international experience, but above all a wonderful and committed colleague.”