ISTANBUL / Ahmed Hassan / Anadolu

Dutch referee Rob Dieperink died on Monday at the age of 38, weeks after being excluded from officiating at the 2026 World Cup.

The Dutch Football Association said in a statement mourning the late referee: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of referee Rob Dieperink."

It added: "With Rob's passing, the refereeing community loses a highly respected referee with international experience, and above all an excellent and dedicated colleague."

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that police conducted an investigation into the death, noting that officers were present on the street where Dieperink lived, before concluding the investigation without suspicion of any other party's involvement.

Dieperink began his refereeing career in the Dutch second division in 2012, became a referee in the Eredivisie in 2017, and also served as an assistant referee at Euro 2024.

He was scheduled to be part of the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) team at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico until July 19, before being excluded from the final list.

The exclusion followed an investigation by British police into an incident at a hotel in London after a match between England's Crystal Palace and Italy's Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

British authorities detained Dieperink in April 2026 on suspicion of committing criminal offenses, before all charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence.

At the time, FIFA clarified that Dieperink's exclusion from the World Cup was part of ensuring that officials with impeccable professional and behavioral records were selected for the tournament, with Frenchman Willy Delajod replacing him on the VAR list.