FIFA referee Rob Dieperink has died at the age of 38, weeks after being removed from the list of officials selected to oversee matches at the 2026 World Cup.

Dieperink had established himself as a prominent figure in Dutch football officiating, earning recognition at European level and securing a place on FIFA's international referee list before his selection for the World Cup.

No official cause of death had been publicly confirmed at the time of reporting.

Dieperink had been among the referees appointed by FIFA to officiate at this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico before his removal from the panel, as the Mirror reports.

In April 2026, he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in London following allegations of sexual assault against an underage boy. 

The case was subsequently dropped, but FIFA had already withdrawn him from the World Cup officials roster.