​A soccer referee died weeks after being axed from the World CupRob Dieperink, 38, had been arrested in connection with an alleged sexual assault on a minor in LondonPolice dropped the investigation owing to lack of evidence; Dieperink insisted he was innocentA soccer referee who was axed from the World Cup following an arrest for an alleged sexual assault on a minor has died.On Monday, July 13, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced the death of 38-year-old Rob Dieperink.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We have learned with shock and deep sadness of the passing of Rob Dieperink,” the KNVB wrote in a statement. “With the passing of Rob, the football world loses a highly valued referee with international experience, but above all, we lose a fine colleague.”Dieperink, who had been an active referee since the 2011-12 season and officiated his first match in the Eredivisie, the top flight in Dutch soccer, in 2017, per the KNVB.The association did not disclose his cause of death nor the circumstances.According to the BBC, Dieperink was arrested in April in London on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. The charges were ultimately dropped due to lack of evidence.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said that on April 9, officers had responded to “a report of a sexual assault against a teenage boy” on Wellesley Road in Croydon, not far from Selhurst Park, where Dieperink had worked as a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at a match between Crystal Palace and Fiorentina that day.“A man in his 30s was subsequently arrested on suspicion of sexual assault,” the spokesperson said. “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.”Nonetheless, following the arrest, FIFA removed Dieperink from the then-upcoming 2026 World Cup, where he was set to serve on the VAR team.“I’m very sad that I was wrongly accused,” Dieperink said in a statement to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “It is a pity that FIFA has decided not to appoint me for the World Cup anymore, of course I am disappointed about that.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn his statement, Dieperink added that he had “fully cooperated in the police investigation” and given “full openness to FIFA, UEFA and the KNVB.” He thanked the KNVB for supporting him.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Dieperink is not the only person associated with the World Cup who has died.The news comes days after Jayden Adams, a 25-year-old midfielder who represented South Africa this summer, was found dead at his home in Cape Town on July 11. A cause was not given and