A referee affiliated with UEFA has been arrested in the United Kingdom following allegations of sexual assault involving a teenage boy during a recent match assignment.
The official, described as a foreign national, had travelled to oversee a European fixture when the alleged incident reportedly took place.
According to reports, the referee was accused of inappropriate contact with the teenager in a public area of a hotel and of attempting to persuade him to go to his room.
Sources said the official had been interacting with the boy before the situation escalated and was later reported to police.
Despite the allegation being raised, the referee reportedly went on to officiate the scheduled match before returning to the hotel later that night.
He was then arrested by officers who were said to be waiting at the hotel while members of the UEFA delegation were present.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his 30s was arrested in connection with reports that a teenage boy had been sexually assaulted.
Police said the suspect was later released on bail while investigations continue.
UEFA said it was monitoring the matter with serious concern and confirmed that the official would not be considered for any UEFA competition matches while the case remains under investigation.
FIFA also said the referee, who had been among those under consideration for future tournaments, would no longer be selected for its competitions pending the outcome of the case.
Authorities have not released the identity of the suspect, and no formal charges had been announced at the time of the report.
