NOS Football•today, 14:24
Eredivisie referee Rob Dieperink has died at the age of 38. The KNVB confirmed this NOS. The cause of death has not been reported.
Dieperink made his professional football debut at a young age. In 2012 he played his first game in the first division (Telstar-Go Ahead Eagles), and five years later he made his Premier League debut in a match between Excelsior and Roda JC.
Since then he has become a regular player at the highest Dutch level. He also made his mark internationally; for example, UEFA appointed him as a video referee (VAR) for the 2024 European Championship.
“With Rob’s death, arbitration loses a valuable referee with international experience, but above all we lose a great colleague,” the Dutch Football Association said in a statement.
Case dismissed
Two months ago, the referee was in the news after an incident in London. In April he was arrested there on suspicion of sexually assaulting an underage boy, shortly after a Conference League match between Crystal Palace and Fiorentina in which he was involved as VAR.
Although the case was quickly dropped due to lack of evidence, the incident had serious consequences for his career. FIFA has decided to exclude him from the list for the World Cup, where he will initially serve as a permanent VAR on referee Danny Makkelie’s team.
Dieperink himself then responded to the consequences of the situation in the newspaper De Telegraaf:
“It really hurts me that I was wrongly accused. From the very beginning, I fully cooperated with the investigation and immediately provided full information to FIFA, UEFA and the KNVB. The allegations were denied and the case was closed within two weeks following an adequate and thorough investigation by the police.”
ProshotsDieperink officiated at the Go Ahead Eagles’ practice match against Apollo Limassol of Cyprus on Saturday. It seems that this was his last match.