Slovenia's veteran referee Slavko Vincic announced his retirement after managing the 2026 World Cup final. Speaking for the first time two days after retirement, he spoke about the feeling of officiating the World Cup final, criticism of his refereeing, that brief on-field conversation with Lionel Messi and the importance of VAR in modern football.
In an interview with the Slovenian media outlet Sport, Vincic said that he was surprised at first when he heard the news that he was given the responsibility of managing the World Cup final. It later became a proud moment for him. Because he got the opportunity to represent Slovenia on the biggest sports stage in the world.
Vincic said he understood the importance of this responsibility from the beginning. Thanking the FIFA referees committee and the legendary referee Pierluigi Collina, he said that keeping their trust was the biggest responsibility.
Vincic and his assistant referees Tomaz Klančnik and Andraj Kovacic made detailed preparations with the players of the two teams before officiating the final on a big stage like the World Cup.
They analyzed the players' style of play, their behavior, their possible reactions when the game stops, and how they might behave in different situations.
But Vincic thinks that it is not possible to be 100% ready for any match. Because the situation of every match is different and many things can happen on the field, which are difficult to predict in advance.
Vincic also described the mental pressure of managing a match like a World Cup final as extremely difficult. According to him, the evaluation of a referee's entire career often comes down to one match.
So the responsibility was huge. Even a wrong decision in such a big match can become the talk of the world in an instant. However, Vincic claims that he and his team have fulfilled their responsibilities properly.
The former referee, who is confident about his performance, said that he believes they managed the match correctly. He also sees the fact that there was no major controversy over the refereeing after the match as a proof of his success.
Interest was also generated by Vincic's brief conversation with Lionel Messi at the World Cup final. He refused to divulge the entire conversation when asked about it in a post-retirement interview.
Vincic said he wants to leave that conversation on the field. However, praising Messi's behavior, he said that the Argentine star behaved very sportsmanily.
Although he did not disclose what exactly happened with Messi, his comments have increased the curiosity of football fans.
Vincic also strongly advocated the need for video assistant referees or VAR in modern football.
According to him, the pace of current football has increased so much that it is not always possible for a referee to stand on the field and watch every incident perfectly. VAR is now an important part of modern football, with the opportunity to review and correct wrong decisions with the help of technology.
According to Vincic, it is possible to correct wrong decisions by watching video and the support of technology is essential for accurate refereeing in keeping with the current pace of football.
In the interview Vincic also recalled the assistant officers who served together for a long time. According to him, in the long journey they were not just colleagues, but became like family members.
He also mentioned that without their cooperation, it would not have been possible to successfully perform the duties in a big match like the World Cup final.
The interview with Vincic, who decided to retire after officiating the World Cup final, revealed the feelings of the final chapter of a referee's long career. But the most talked about is his praise for Messi's sportsmanship and that undisclosed conversation in the final.
