Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic don make history. He go take charge of Sunday FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Na first time wey one referee from im country go handle di tournament showpiece match.
Di 46-year-old join exclusive group as only di 23rd referee ever to oversee a FIFA World Cup final. FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina bin inform am for emotional moment wey FIFA capture for video.
Vincic wey born for Maribor admit say di news shock am. “First of all, a shock. Then happiness. I was shaking. It’s an incredible honour to get the World Cup final,” im tok. “It’s only a dream for a referee when they start their career. I’m very proud of myself and my team.”
“It’s very difficult to put everything into words, but I’m very proud to represent my country, Slovenia, at the biggest sporting event in the world. My team is very proud, and we will do our best.”
Di referee dey officiate for im second FIFA World Cup. For 2022 tournament for Qatar, im handle two group-stage matches. For 2026 World Cup, im don oversee Brazil Group C draw with Morocco, Algeria Group J victory over Jordan, and Mexico Round of 32 win over Ecuador. Dat one earn am di nod for di biggest game.
Spain-Argentina final no go be im first major title decider. For 2024, UEFA appoint am to referee Champions League final at Wembley. Real Madrid defeat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. Di Maribor-born official become only second Slovenian to officiate Champions League final after Damir Skomina for 2019.
Vincic also take charge of 2022 UEFA Europa League final. Eintracht Frankfurt beat Rangers on penalties to lift trophy.
Despite individual recognition, Vincic insist say achievement belong to im entire officiating crew. Especially assistant referees Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič. “Refereeing is all about teamwork. Without them, without Tomaž and Andraž, this is not possible,” im yarn. “I’m really happy that I’ve had them throughout my career. We are really good friends, a good team, and thanks to them.”
Jordan Adham Makhadmeh go serve as fourth official for di final. Im compatriot Mohammad Al-Kalaf don be appointed reserve assistant referee.
Collina say di decision follow weeks of evaluation throughout tournament. Im stress say performances on pitch na di decisive factor. “It’s a long process. There are many pieces of the puzzle that have to be combined,” Collina tok. “The performances are what matter the most. Of course, the matches they refereed before, and also the fact that his team is not playing in this competition, but mainly performances. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters.”
Collina also describe informing referees of their appointments as one of di most emotional moments of every World Cup. “It’s emotional for the referees, but it is very emotional also for me. This is the third time I’ve done it at a FIFA World Cup, and I still get goosebumps.”
Vincic say im go approach Sunday final di same way wey im don prepare for every match during di tournament. “Preparation will not change much. We will analyse the teams again, even though we’ve been following them for more than 40 days,” im yarn. “We’ll stay focused, try to be mentally fresh and physically fresh, and we’ll do our best so that we will not be a topic after the match.”
