Vincic stands by Enzo red card in World Cup final and praises Messi’s ‘sportsmanship’

World Cup final referee Slavko Vincic says he has no regrets over sending off Enzo Fernandez and insists Lionel Messi behaved with “great sportsmanship” during Spain’s win over Argentina.

The Slovenian official, who took charge of the goalless 120-minute final between Spain and Argentina, has spoken publicly for the first time about what he describes as the most important match of his career.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Sport, Vincic said the contrasting styles of the two teams made the game particularly demanding to handle, with Spain focused on dominating possession and Argentina intent on disrupting their rhythm.

He identified the dismissal of Enzo Fernandez, shown a second yellow card, as the defining refereeing decision of the final – and one he is adamant was correct.

Vincic said the Benfica midfielder’s red card was accepted without serious protest from Argentina’s players or staff.

“The most important decision in the match was sending off Enzo Fernandez with the second yellow card,” he explained. “It was the right decision and there was no real objection, even from the Argentine side.”

Messi conversation stays “on the pitch”

The moment that drew the most attention, however, came when Vincic was seen in a lengthy on-field discussion with Argentina captain Lionel Messi after the dismissal.

The referee declined to reveal what was said between the pair, but moved quickly to defend Messi’s behaviour and attitude.

“Talking with Messi? I’ll leave that on the pitch,” Vincic said. “But I can say he acted with great sportsmanship and behaved completely correctly.”

His comments suggest Messi accepted the referee’s decisions and avoided the kind of pressure and surrounding of officials that often accompanies major finals.

“It’s the World Cup final,” Vincic continued. “Players’ mentality and reactions are different, and because of the importance of the match you have to understand everything.

“We were not the subject of discussion after the game, and that is proof that we did our job well. I think our refereeing strategy was the right one.”

‘Your whole refereeing history stops on one match’

Vincic admitted the weight of responsibility at the World Cup final was unlike anything he had previously experienced in his career.

“The responsibility is enormous when your entire refereeing history stops on one match,” he said. “I knew most of the work would be about managing the game – when to stop it and when to let play continue.”

The 46-year-old, who has since announced his retirement from refereeing, revealed he was genuinely surprised to be chosen to oversee world football’s showpiece game.

“At first I was shocked,” he said of his appointment. “But then I felt proud of our team, which would represent Slovenia on this important stage, at the biggest sporting event in the world.”

Vincic underlined that the match demanded constant concentration on game management rather than just individual incidents, given the tactical clash between Spain’s possession play and Argentina’s attempts to break up the tempo.

Addressing a controversial past

The Slovenian official also addressed an incident from earlier in his career that drew widespread media attention, when he was arrested in a lodge in Bosnia and Herzegovina alongside 25 other people during a police operation linked to prostitution, and arms and drug trafficking.

Vincic has always denied any involvement in criminal activity and again distanced himself from the case, portraying his presence as a matter of poor judgement rather than wrongdoing.

“I had nothing to do with that,” he said. “I accepted a lunch invitation, and it turned out that was the biggest mistake I made. I regret it.”

Despite that episode, Vincic went on to earn UEFA and FIFA’s trust to officiate at major international tournaments, culminating in his appointment to the World Cup final – a match he now believes validated his approach to refereeing on the highest stage.