Poor management by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia and Alejandro Domínguez: they lost the worst refereeing trio in the World Cup final

The controversy grew when it was confirmed that the refereeing team would also include Slovenian assistants Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič, leaving the final completely in the hands of referees from the same country as the UEFA president. Additionally, the VAR was overseen by German Bastian Dankert and the AVAR was Colombian Nicolás Gallo, a representative of the country that had lost to Argentina in the last Copa América final. For many leaders and analysts, this composition highlighted the failure of Tapia and Domínguez's efforts to defend the interests of a finalist federation in the highest football event.

The political context also fueled speculation. The appointment occurred amid the differences that UEFA and Gianni Infantino's FIFA have maintained for years, with elections for the organization scheduled for early 2027. In this scenario, some sectors interpreted the choice of a referee who is a compatriot of Čeferin as a gesture towards the European bloc.

Beyond the fact that there is no evidence of irregularities in Vinčić's performance, the decision reignited the debate about the distribution of power in world football. The final ultimately reflected that, while Europe continues to impose its influence in the most relevant appointments, the AFA and CONMEBOL were left without the capacity to influence a resolution that directly involved the Argentine national team.