FIFA has struck Dutch referee Rob Dieperink from the list of officials for this summer’s men’s World Cup, a decision announced on Friday that stands as the tournament’s first elimination. Dieperink, thirty-eight, had been selected to serve as a video assistant referee for the joint hosts United States, Canada and Mexico. The move comes even though the Metropolitan Police in London closed their investigation into allegations of sexual assault against him, citing insufficient evidence.

Dieperink was arrested in London in April after a complaint involving a teenage boy. The Metropolitan Police told The Athletic that their inquiries had concluded with “no further action” because the evidence did not meet the threshold for prosecution. In a statement, a police spokesperson said: “The evidence available did not reach the required threshold and therefore no further action will be taken.” The Dutchman has consistently maintained his innocence, telling De Telegraaf: “It saddens me greatly that I was falsely accused.”

FIFA, for its part, offered no nuance. In a brief confirmation, the governing body said it “confirms that Rob Dieperink has been removed from the list of referees for the World Cup.” The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has publicly backed Dieperink, but that support has not swayed the tournament organisers. Viewed from Zurich, the decision reflects FIFA’s determination to shield the World Cup from any reputational risk, regardless of the legal outcome.

Analysts in London note that the episode underscores a growing gap between criminal justice and professional consequences in elite sport. Though cleared by police, Dieperink now faces the end of a World Cup dream. The likely replacement, according to insiders, is French referee Willy Delajod. For Dieperink, the damage is done: a career trajectory derailed not by a conviction, but by the mere shadow of an accusation that, in the court of public and institutional opinion, proved impossible to outrun.