Rob Dieperink, a Dutch soccer referee who was fired from the World Cup after being arrested for sexually assaulting a boy in the UK, was found dead, and an investigation has been launched into his death.
The Dutch Football Association said that it was “shocked and deeply saddened” over the news of Dieperink’s death.
Dieperink, 38, was originally chosen to referee during the World Cup this year, but was removed from the list of officials after he was arrested in the UK for sexually assaulting a teenage boy at a hotel.
The ref was reportedly officiating at a UEFA Conference League game between Crystal Palace and Fiorentina back in April when he was accused of unwanted touching and attempting to convince the teen to accompany him to his hotel room, the Daily Mail reported.
He was later arrested in front of other UEFA officials, the paper added. But despite the arrest, the charges against Dieperink were later dismissed due to lack of evidence.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police in London said that officers completed a “thorough investigation” and added, “Following these inquiries, they concluded that the evidential threshold had not been met. No further action will be taken.”
However, the legal decision was still not enough to prevent FIFA from dropping him as a ref. At the time FIFA made its announcement that he was cut from the list of game officials, Dieperink said he was “very sad to have been wrongly accused” and was “disappointed” to be left out of the World Cup.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of referee Rob Dieperink. With Rob, the refereeing community loses a highly valued referee with international experience, but above all, a fine and dedicated colleague. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and everyone who held him dear. We wish them much strength and support in coping with this great loss,” the Dutch FA said in a statement.
Netherlands football authorities had announced that Dieperink would be returning to his referee job after the sexual assault charges were dropped. Still, it was also reported that the ref was “tremendously impacted” by the arrest.
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