Adolf Prokop, an East German football referee who officiated at World Cups, the Olympics and European competitions, died on Aug. 12, 2026, at 87, Thüringer Allgemeine reported.
In East Germany, formally the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Prokop began refereeing in 1958 and reached the DDR-Oberliga, East Germany’s highest football division, in 1969. He began working internationally in 1973 and appeared on FIFA’s roster of referees eligible for international matches from 1974 through 1988. His record included 27 international matches and 60 European club-competition matches.
At the 1976 Montreal Olympic football tournament, he refereed Iran against Cuba and served as an assistant referee in two other matches. At the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, he refereed the Netherlands–Peru group match, which ended 0–0. In 1979, he refereed the UEFA Super Cup. He later refereed the Netherlands’ 1–0 win over Greece at the 1980 European Championship in Italy and the 1981 UEFA Cup final. At the 1982 World Cup in Spain, he refereed the Austria–Northern Ireland match, which ended 2–2. He also officiated at the 1984 European Championship and the European Cup Winners’ Cup final that year, a former European club tournament for domestic cup winners, in which Juventus beat Porto 2–1.
