Cup final referee was once detained at party with drugs, prostitutes

Cup final referee was once detained at party with drugs, prostitutes Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić, chosen to officiate the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina this Sunday (19), has an unusual and tense episode in his recent past. In May 2020, the referee was one of 35 people detained during a police raid in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he proved the situation was nothing more than a major misunderstanding. 'Wrong place at the wrong time' Police raided a farm in the city of Bijeljina to dismantle a drug trafficking and prostitution ring. At the scene, weapons, packages of cocaine, and large amounts of cash were seized. According to Vinčić, he was in Bosnia and Herzegovina on business and accepted an invitation to have lunch there without knowing the character of his hosts. "I ended up at that farm by chance. I have my own company and was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a business meeting, and I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I regret it. I was sitting at the table with my company, the police arrived, and what happened, happened. They took us to the police station, asked for statements as witnesses, and when they found out we didn’t even know them, we were allowed to leave," Vinčić said in an interview with the Slovenian newspaper Vecer. The referee was released immediately without any formal charges, receiving full support from Slovenia's referees association. Grand Final Emotion Behind the Scenes: A video of Vinčić crying and being hugged by colleagues after receiving the news that he would officiate the World Cup final went viral behind the scenes at FIFA. Officiating Team: He will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic. The fourth official will be Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan), and VAR will be led by Bastian Dankert (Germany). Impressive Résumé: At 46, the Slovenian officiated the most recent Champions League final (Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund). At this 2026 World Cup, he has taken charge of three matches, including the 1-1 draw between Brazil and Morocco. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.