Dutch referee arrested over alleged misconduct with 17-year-old, charges later dropped
The Dutch referee and VAR official Rob Dieperink was arrested in a London hotel on April 9, 2026, on suspicion of sexual offences. The case has since been fully dropped by British police due to a complete lack of evidence, De Telegraaf reports.
Dieperink was in London in his role as video assistant referee (VAR) during a UEFA Conference League fixture when he was accused of inappropriate contact and allegedly trying to entice a 17-year-old boy. He was questioned over suspected sexual offences, including sexual assault and contact with a minor. Following his cooperation with the investigation, authorities found no evidence, and the case was subsequently closed.
Even though the case against Rob Dieperink was dropped, FIFA has removed him from its World Cup referee list, where he was due to travel alongside Danny Makkelie. UEFA has also decided not to assign him any further matches. His role as VAR at the tournament will be taken by French referee Willy Delajod.
Dieperink said he has been deeply affected by both the accusations and the loss of his World Cup role. The KNVB stated that, given the case was dismissed, there is no reason to suspend him in the Eredivisie, but it has still taken him off this weekend’s appointments because of the media attention.
Dieperink, born on April 18, 1988, in Borculo, has developed a career spanning over 14 years in Dutch professional football, becoming particularly known for his expertise as a VAR.
Dieperink made his professional refereeing debut in the Eerste Divisie during the 2011/2012 season. He took charge of his first Eredivisie match on November 4, 2017, in the fixture between Excelsior and Roda JC (1–0), where he made an early impact by sending off a player in the 36th minute.
His international breakthrough came during the European Championship in Germany. From the video assistant referee hub in Leipzig, Dieperink was involved in a total of nine Euro 2025 matches. Immediately afterwards, he travelled to Paris to serve as a VAR official at the Olympic football tournament.
