World Cup final referee retires just one week after controversial clash as statement is issued

Slavko Vincic has announced his retirement from refereeing, just over a week after taking charge of the World Cup final.

The Slovenian official oversaw the ill-tempered clash at the MetLife Stadium, which saw Spain clinch their second world title with a 1-0 win over Argentina after extra time.

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But Vincic’s performance came in for criticism, as he allowed the 2022 champions’ physical approach to continue throughout the game.

Enzo Fernandez was sent off towards the end of normal time for a second yellow card, before the final descended into chaos at full time.

A mass brawl broke out when Argentina’s players were involved in a series of bust-ups after the final whistle.

Leandro Paredes threw punches at Spain’s Gavi and Eric Garcia, but somehow escaped a red card, with the BBC reporting his initial sending off had later been removed.

This came after Nahuel Molina appeared to start the huge scuffle by throwing a punch at Manchester City star Rodri.

The fallout has continued in the aftermath of the World Cup final, with FIFA set to launch an investigation into the ugly full-time scenes amid widespread criticism aimed at Argentina.

And in the wake of this, Vincic has now retired as a football referee, making the New Jersey clash his final game.

A statement from the Slovenian FA read: “One week after the World Cup final in the USA, Slavko Vinčić officially concluded his historic refereeing career at the very top of the world.

“The Maribor native became the first Slovenian head referee to officiate the grand final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, confirming his status as one of the greatest officials in history.

“As the crowning achievement of his farewell season, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) named him the best referee of the World Cup, and he received the prestigious Giulio Campanati award in Italy.”

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Memorable career

The Slovenian FA’s statement continued to list Vincic’s greatest achievements as a referee.

This included being selected by FIFA to officiate the World Cup final, which saw him become the first-ever Slovenian to take charge of football’s biggest game.

Upon learning that he would be refereeing the huge showdown, Vincic broke down in tears, calling it an ‘incredible honour’.

As well as officiating the World Cup final, the 46-year-old also took charge of three Europa League finals, including the 2022 showdown between Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt.

In 2024, he took charge of the Champions League final, which was won by Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund.

Vincic enjoyed plenty of major tournament experiences in his career too, making his World Cup debut in 2022, as well as refereeing at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

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He officiated at four World Cup matches in North America this summer, and made the headlines in the last-32.

Vincic handed out his first-ever major tournament red card when Ecuador took on co-hosts Mexico, as he sent off Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie for covering his mouth when speaking to Santiago Gimenez under the new FIFA rules.

But the Slovenian opted not to dish out the same punishment in the World Cup final, after Lionel Messi tried to get Marc Cucurella sent off for this, only for the Spain left-back to escape without punishment.

Messi drew criticism for his actions here, while Vincic’s performance angered Spain’s fans, who directed chants at FIFA president Gianni Infantino accusing him of bias towards Argentina after he failed to punish some strong challenges from the South Americans.