World Cup Final Referee Detained at Drug and Prostitution Party

FIFA has appointed Slovenian official Slavko Vincic to referee Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. This comes six years after the referee was detained at a party involving drugs and prostitution, though he was subsequently released without charge.

The pinnacle of global football, pitting reigning champions Argentina against European champion Spain, is set to kick off on Sunday afternoon.

The 46-year-old Vincic, who also officiated the 2024 Champions League final where Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund, saw his career marred by a scandal in 2020 when he was apprehended by police at a party in the Bosnian city of Bijeljina.

During the police operation, nine women and 26 men were arrested. Authorities seized four packets of cocaine, 10 pistols, three protective vests, and over 8,000 euros in cash. Vincic was detained solely as a witness and was not accused of involvement in the illicit network.

One of the individuals arrested at the party, Tijana Maksimovic, later pleaded guilty to international pimping, with a one-year prison sentence having been proposed.

At the time, Vincic explained his presence to the Slovenian newspaper Vecer. "I ended up at this farm by chance. I own my own company and was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a business meeting," he stated. "I accepted an invitation for lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I regret it. I was sitting at the table with my company, suddenly the police appeared, and what happened, happened," he recounted.

The referee distanced himself from the other detainees: "I have nothing to do with the group that was arrested and imprisoned, nor do my business partners. Yes, they took us to the police, questioned us as witnesses, and when it was discovered that we didn't even know them, we were allowed to leave."

Meanwhile, Vlado Saijn, president of the Slovenian Football Referees Association, came to Vincic's defense. "He found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was invited to a party with a large group of people, most of whom he didn't know," Saijn said. "I consider this story a web of unfortunate circumstances," he emphasized.