The appointment of the referee for the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain has once again brought to light one of the most controversial episodes of his career. The Slovenian Slavko Vincic was detained in 2020 during a police raid in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at a property where weapons, cocaine, cash, and individuals linked to a prostitution investigation were found.
FIFA confirmed that Vincic will be in charge of officiating the match next Sunday. The 46-year-old referee will be accompanied by his compatriots Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic as assistants, while Adham Makhadmeh will serve as the fourth official.
Slavko Vincic was imprisoned in Bosnia
The incident occurred in May 2020, during the health restrictions due to the pandemic. The police raided a property located in the Bosnian city of Bijeljina as part of an investigation against an international organization allegedly linked to drug trafficking, prostitution, and illegal arms sales.
There were 35 people at the location, including nine women and 26 men. During the operation, authorities seized ten handguns, several packages of cocaine, cell phones, computers, and more than 10,000 euros in cash. Vincic was detained along with the others present while investigators tried to establish each person's connection to the organization.
According to reports released about the operation, the referee allegedly attempted to leave the scene on a boat with three other individuals when the police arrived. However, he was released a few hours later and no charges were filed against him. Authorities determined that he should testify as a witness and that there were no elements linking him directly to the investigated activities.
Slavko Vincic
Vincic later explained that he had traveled to Bosnia for a business meeting and ended up at the property after accepting an invitation to eat. According to his account, he did not know the individuals under investigation and described his presence at the location as the biggest mistake of his life.
The then-president of the Slovenian referees' association, Vladimir Sajn, also stated that there were no formal suspicions or complaints against Vincic and assured that he had simply been “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
