Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić has been appointed to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between defending champion Argentina and European champion Spain, six years after being briefly detained during a police operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina before being released without charge.
FIFA confirmed that the 46-year-old official will handle the championship match, adding another milestone to a career that also includes officiating the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Vinčić’s appointment comes despite an incident in 2020, when he was among dozens of people detained during a police raid at a gathering in the Bosnian city of Bijeljina.
Authorities reportedly arrested several individuals and seized cocaine, firearms, protective vests, and cash during the operation. Vinčić, however, was not charged with any offense and was treated only as a witness in the investigation.
One of those arrested, Tijana Maksimović, later pleaded guilty to charges related to international enticement to prostitution and was proposed a one-year prison sentence.
Following the incident, Vinčić maintained that he had no involvement in any illegal activities.
“I found myself on this ranch by chance. I have my own company, I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a business meeting,” he told Slovenian newspaper Večer.
“I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I regret it. I was sitting at a table with my company, all of a sudden the police came and what happened, happened.”
Despite the controversy, Vinčić continued to officiate at the highest levels of international football and has now been entrusted with overseeing the sport’s biggest match as Argentina seeks to retain its World Cup title against Spain.
