A football match official who could be picked to work the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America was arrested for alleged sexual assault at a hotel while in Britain for a match.
World Cup organizer FIFA said on Tuesday it was «aware of the serious allegation» after details of an alleged assault on a teenage boy were first reported by the British daily The sun.
“In the meantime, the match official will not be eligible for FIFA competition matches,” the football governing body said in a statement.
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FIFA this month published a list of 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials selected for the 104-match World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
The match official was not identified in the reports, nor was the European competition match he worked on for UEFA.
“We are monitoring the situation with great concern and will continue to monitor developments closely,” UEFA said.
UEFA added that it will also not select the referee for its matches, and the alleged incident was part of ‘an active investigation’.
The sun reported that the Metropolitan Police in London have released a man in his 30s on bail.
Published on April 28, 2026
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