A match official who was a potential candidate for this summer's men's World Cup has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage boy at a hotel in Britain. The alleged incident occurred while the official was in the country for a European fixture.
Fifa confirmed on Tuesday that it is aware of the serious allegation and has stated that the official will not be considered for any Fifa competition matches. The governing body published a list earlier this month of 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials for the 104-game tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.
The official, whose identity has not been disclosed, was working at a Uefa competition game at the time. Uefa said it is monitoring the situation with great concern and will also not select the official for its matches, adding that the alleged incident is part of an active investigation.
The Sun reported that the Metropolitan Police in London released a man in his 30s on bail. The World Cup is now weeks away, with England set to begin their campaign against Croatia on 17 June, followed by matches against Ghana and Panama.
