The choice of the Slovenian referee raised suspicions due to his close institutional ties with Aleksander Čeferin, with whom he shares nationality, and fueled rumors about an alleged influence from the UEFA president
The appointment also gained relevance due to the political context surrounding international football. For years, there have been differences between UEFA and FIFA, led by Gianni Infantino, so the choice of a referee who is a compatriot of the top leader of the European body fueled speculations about a possible attempt to reestablish the relationship between the two. These versions make more sense, as the elections for the highest body of world football are just around the corner (March 18, 2027), and, as reported, the entity presided over by Čeferin seeks to avoid Infantino's reelection.
One of the main points of criticism focused on his relationship with Aleksander Čeferin, president of UEFA, the confederation to which the champion Spain belongs, as both are from Slovenia. While there is no evidence of a possible personal friendship between them, they do maintain a close institutional bond within European football. Čeferin has presided over UEFA since 2016, while Vinčić is the most important international referee from his country and has been part of the elite of continental refereeing for several years.
It was precisely this coincidence of nationality that sparked all kinds of comments before the final. In various sectors of international refereeing, it drew attention that Vinčić was chosen for such a significant match, as some experts believed there were other candidates with greater experience in these types of encounters.
Čeferin and Vinčić are Slovenian
The controversy intensified also because Vinčić was not the only Slovenian member of the officiating team. The assistant referees Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič, appointed as assistants for the final, are also from Slovenia. In this way, FIFA placed the decisive World Cup match entirely in the hands of a refereeing team from the same country as the UEFA president.
The controversy did not arise solely from the World Cup final. Throughout his career, Vinčić has been appointed to officiate numerous high-stakes matches in competitions organized by UEFA, which at various times has led to rumors of alleged favoritism towards the Slovenian referee.
The negative precedent he had with the Argentine National Team
Beyond the controversy regarding his institutional link with Čeferin, for Argentine fans there was another precedent that raised concern. The only time Vinčić had officiated a match for the National Team in a World Cup was during the debut of Qatar 2022, when Lionel Scaloni's team lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia.
Vinčić officiated in Argentina's defeat against Saudi Arabia in 2022
That defeat ended up being Argentina's only loss on the road to winning their third World Cup, but the memory resurfaced when FIFA confirmed that the Slovenian would be in charge of officiating the final that ended with Spain's 1-0 victory.
