The referee who FIFA decided to expel from the World Cup is found dead

2026-07-13 19:12:39Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

The Dutch Football Association has announced the shocking news that Dutch referee Rob Dieperink has passed away under circumstances that remain to be clarified.

 The 37-year-old judge was reportedly found dead on Monday, with police cordoning off the street where his apartment is located. The police investigation has been closed and it has been announced that no third parties were involved in the incident, but to protect the privacy of the deceased's family, details of the incident have not been made public.

Dieperink was a well-known name in the international arena. He has officiated numerous matches and was part of the VAR teams at EURO 2024, refereeing the Italy-Albania duel, among others. Last Saturday, he refereed a friendly between GA Eagles and Apollon FC.

He had initially been on the list of referees assembled by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. But the referee was then excluded from the list after an incident that occurred at a London hotel after a Conference League match.

He was arrested in April after the Crystal Palace-Fiorentina game, on charges of assaulting a minor and two other charges. He was later released and the charges against him were dropped due to lack of evidence. However, this was enough for FIFA to immediately remove him from its lists.


Video