How a raid on a sex party almost ended the career of the final FIFA World Cup referee

It was a famous moment when Slavko Vincic was appointed to referee the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. Tears of joy and only a sense of success flowed from the Slovenian official he received all the applause of his colleagues and he proudly helped the final referee jersey. But this moment almost didn’t happen.

Vincic is an experienced fighter and one of the best referees in Europe, having officiated several high-profile fights. However, in 2020, his career nearly crashed when he was arrested as part of a sex party in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to a Daily Mail report, Vincic attended an invitation to a working lunch in the Bosnian town of Bijeljina. However, he quickly found himself in the middle of a police raid in which he was arrested along with Tijana Maksimovic, who the police believed to be the leader of a prostitution ring.

The following year, Maksimovic pleaded guilty to the charges and served a one-year prison sentence. On that day, the police officers arrested a total of nine women and 26 men and confiscated four packages of cocaine, 10 pistols, three protective vests worth over 10,000 euros.

Vincic was not charged with direct involvement in the crime and was later released after being questioned as a witness.

WHAT VINCIC SAID ABOUT MINING

Vincic told the Slovenian daily Vecer that he had nothing to do with the group and maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal.

“I found myself at this ranch by chance. I have my own business, I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a business meeting,” he said.

“I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I regret it. I was sitting at the table with my company, suddenly the police came and what happened happened.”

“I have nothing to do with the group that was arrested and detained, nor my business partners. Yes, they actually took us to the police, they questioned (us) as witnesses, when it turned out that we didn’t even know them, we were allowed to go.”

The president of the Association of Football Referees of Slovenia, Vlado Sajn, defended Vincica, saying that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and did not press any charges against him.

Vincic is ready to referee a match for the fourth time this year at the World Cup has a bit of history with Argentina.

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Published on:

18 Jul 2026 15:10 IST