Dutch referee Rob Dieperink has passed away at just 38 years old, weeks after being dropped from the 2026 World Cup.

The cause of his death has not been disclosed, but the police have launched an ‘investigation following a deceased person’ in the street where Dieperink lived, according to AD.

He was originally scheduled to officiate at this summer’s World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. However, he was left at home by FIFA after he was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage boy. That case has since been dropped.

Nathan Ray Seebeck (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

The FIFA official’s death was confirmed in a statement by the Dutch Football Association on Monday afternoon. The statement read (per Daily Mail):

He was reportedly ‘very sad’ to have been removed from the World Cup as FIFA released a statement, which said: “FIFA can confirm that Rob Dieperink has been removed from the list of FIFA World Cup match officials.”

The referee had been accused of attempting to lure a boy to his hotel room before Crystal Palace’s UEFA Europa Conference League clash against Fiorentina. Dieperink had flown out to referee the match but was arrested in front of UEFA officials upon his return.

The case was later dropped, with a Met spokesperson stating: “On Thursday, 9 April, officers responded to a report of a sexual assault against a teenage boy, which occurred at an address on Wellesley Road, Croydon. A man in his 30s was subsequently arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.

“Officers completed a thorough investigation and reviewed all available evidence, including gathering CCTV and examining digital devices. Following these enquiries, they concluded that the evidential threshold had not been met. No further action will be taken.”

Dieperink Spoke Out on Dropped Case

Speaking to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf after his case was dropped, the 38-year-old addressed his emotions after being taken off FIFA’s list of officials.

He said: “It makes me very sad that I have been wrongly accused. I fully cooperated with the police investigation and also immediately gave full openness to FIFA, UEFA and the KNVB (Dutch FA).

Aston Villa have agreed a deal with Paris Saint-Germain to sell Lucas Digne after they triggered his release clause, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Villans have moved to complete a deal to sign Johan Manzambi in a £52.4m deal, hijacking Newcastle’s move for the Switzerland international, but have been rocked by news that Manchester United have triggered the £35m release clause in Youri Tielemans‘ contract, with the Belgian now set to depart.

But it has now emerged that the club have been forced to sell yet another key first-team star in this current window, with another release clause being brought to light.

Aston Villa to Lose Lucas Digne

Digne, who has been described as ‘top-level’, has been a regular at the club since joining from Everton in January 2022, earning himself a regular starting spot in Didier Deschamps’ France squad during the World Cup this summer too.

But the 33-year-old has attracted the interest of back-to-back European champions PSG for a move back to Paris this summer, and it has now emerged that they have agreed to trigger the release clause worth less than £10m to take him back to Ligue 1.

Digne has now agreed a contract with the French side, and has accepted a role as a back-up option for Portugal international Nuno Mendes.

Villa don’t want to lose Digne, but are helpless due to the clause in his contract. PSG have now informed the Midlands side that they will pay the fee once his participation at the World Cup is over, with the defender currently preparing for a semi-final clash with Spain.

Former Brighton star Pervis Estupinan has emerged as a target for Emery’s side, but the team are now looking to recover from a week of blows, having also lost Amadou Onana for most of the upcoming season due to a serious knee injury.

Time for Maatsen to Step Up

Aston Villa were on the verge of replacing Digne a few years ago when they completed a deal to sign Ian Maatsen from Chelsea, but Digne managed to fight back and retain his spot.

But Maatsen has impressed during his spell at the club, and now he will surely be given the opportunity to step up and become the starting option under Emery. Losing Digne will be a major blow, but Villa also know that they have a ready-made replacement in the squad who can make an immediate impact.

The release clause is low compared to market value, but Digne is 33 and needed replacing sooner or later, so it could turn out to be a good deal with his wages off the books, helping to keep other key players and bring in replacements.

Leeds United are now said to be pushing for a deal to sign a new centre-back as they look to ramp up their summer recruitment. The Whites have snapped up Harry Wilson this summer, which was an impressive deal in itself, but they will want to add a handful of new recruits this summer.

One area they must strengthen is the centre-back spot, with Pascal Struijk having been allowed to leave for Brighton, replacing Jan Paul van Hecke, who left the Seagulls for Tottenham.

Daniel Farke will want a reliable centre-back he can plug and play, while there are other areas he will want to strengthen to aid Leeds’ bid to become Premier League stalwarts over the course of next season and beyond.

Leeds step up bid to sign Tarik Muharemovic

According to Fabrizio Romano, Leeds are focusing on the signing of Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic, who did well for Bosnia and Herzegovina in this summer’s World Cup.

Romano posted on X: “More on Tarik Muharemović and Leeds United exclusive story from Saturday. #LUFC presented a verbal contract proposal to the defender and pushing to close the deal next week. Leeds are confident to get it done, 2 more clubs involved — talks to follow with Sassuolo.”

It came after reports of a bid from Leeds, and it’s expected the deal will be an expensive one, with Muharemovic valued at £21.3million by Transfermarkt and he is likely to go for more than that, especially after doing well at the World Cup.

But Leeds brought in around £18million for Struijk, so they will have plenty of cash towards the deal. Juventus would get some cash from the deal having sold Muharemovic to Sassuolo and kept some of his rights.

Whaty kind of player is Tarik Muharemovic?

Lisi Niesner via Action Images via Reuters

Transfermarkt’s Serie A expert Stefano Bounfino said when describing the Leeds target: “He is very physically solid, especially strong in aerial duels where he can use his height and anticipation skills to his advantage. He is determined, knows how to read passes and anticipates plays. He also has good footwork and is not afraid to break away from the defense to participate in the attacking phase when appropriate.”

Asked about the defender’s form last season, he added: “He had already shown good confidence and technical ability as a modern defender in Serie B. He confirmed this in Serie A, even against top clubs and great strikers. He made a few mistakes, but this is understandable for a centre back of this age playing in a newly promoted team. He has found great consistency and his place in the starting lineup has never been questioned.”