On Sunday evening (July 19) in the 2026 World Cup final, Slavko Vincic will experience the greatest moment of his professional career. The Slovenian referee will pick up his whistle, put on his gear, slip the cards into his pocket, and officiate the big match between Spain and Argentina. The winner will claim the coveted trophy.

Six years ago, Vincic didn’t know whether he would be able to reach this level or receive such an honor, but—for a few days—it was uncertain whether he would even avoid prison. Regardless of the fact that he had maintained his innocence from the start—which was ultimately proven.

The Raid on Bijelina and the International Prostitution Ring

In May 2020, Vincic was among the dozens of people arrested during a major police operation at a farm near the city of Bijelina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Authorities raided the area, which, according to the investigation, was linked to an international prostitution ring.

Police arrested a total of 26 men and nine women, including Tijana Maksimović, whom investigators believed to be the party’s organizer and the ringleader of the network. During the operation, four packages of cocaine, ten handguns, three bulletproof vests, and more than 14,000 euros in cash were seized.

Maximovich later pleaded guilty to a charge related to the international trafficking of prostitution and was subsequently sentenced to one year in prison.

In the wrong place at the wrong time

Vincic, however, was never charged with any illegal activity. The authorities questioned him solely as a witness and released him after determining that he had no connection to the alleged criminal activity. He maintained from the outset that he had been invited to this party, which he believed was simply a business lunch.

“I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake,” he told the Slovenian newspaper Vecer. “I have no connection whatsoever with the people who were arrested. They questioned us as witnesses, and when it became clear that we didn’t even know the others, they let us go.”

The president of the Slovenian Football Referees’ Association, Vlado Sain, who emphasized that no proceedings were ever brought against Vincic, describing the entire affair as “a series of unfortunate coincidences.”

*photo source: AP