Born in Maribor in 1979, Slavko Vincic – chosen for the big match between Italy and Spain, was the referee of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. A curiosity: on May 28, 2020 he found himself involved in a sex, drug and weapons affair. His only ‘fault’ was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yep, Vincic accepted an invitation to lunch in a farmhouse in Bjeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, when suddenly the police raided and arrested about 30 people, including the Slovenian referee. He was then immediately released and considered uninvolved in the facts. Internazionale since 2010 is considered one of the most solid referees though on his debut at Euro2024 in Hungary-Switzerland he left something to be desired but how did he fare yesterday?
Vincic’s history with Spain and Italy
The last occasion on which Vincic refereed Spain or Italy, he refereed… both: he was there to blow the whistle in the 2023 Nations League semi-final, won 2-1 by La Roja over the national team then managed by Roberto Mancini. On that occasion, Roja prevailed and won (2-1) with Joselu’s Cesarini’s goal in the area. Vincic awarded a penalty to the Azzurri which was then scored by Immobile and disallowed a goal by Frattesi for offside. Before the Nations League semi-final between Italy and Spain which took place in June 2023, the Azzurri had already crossed paths with Slavko Vincic during their triumphant journey at the 2021 European Championships. The Slovenian, in fact, he refereed the quarter-finals against Belgium, when the national team then coached by Roberto Mancini won 2-1 thanks to goals from Barella and Insigne. In general, the precedents with Spain are three (two draws and one victory) and those with Italy four (three victories and one defeat).
The referee cautioned five players
Assisted by Slovenian assistants Tomasz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, with the French Turpin IV man and Nejc Kajtazovic at Varthe referee booked 5 players, including two from Spalletti’s national team: Donnarumma, Rodri, Cristante, Le Normand and Carvajal.
Spain-Italy, slow-motion cases
These are the dubious episodes. In the 6th minute, a bad foul by Pedri on Pellegrini, who suffers a not bad intervention but with a hammer foot: the Giallorossi captain remains on the ground, according to the referee it does not warrant a yellow card. In the 14th minute Donnarumma was given a yellow card for protesting against the referee who had whistled a foul against Italy, but Vincic’s decision was surprising because as captain the Italian goalkeeper had the right to ask the match director for explanations. In the 18th minute Vincic invents a foul by Calafiori, blocking a possible Italian restart. At 47′ second yellow of the match. This time Rodri is penalized, also in this case for one word too many to the referee. The restart starts with the entry of Cambiaso and Cristante e the Giallorossi player received a well-deserved yellow after just 20 seconds for a bad foul on Rodri. In the 69th minute Le Normand made a late intervention on Zaccagni: yellow for him. Tension at the end but the referee takes no action except for Carvajal and Spain-Italy ends 1-0.
For Marelli the yellow at Donnarumma was right
Luca Marelli explains the warning to Donnarumma on Facebook: “Captain or not, a goalkeeper who leaves his area to protest is automatically yellow. It’s the problem of having the goalkeeper as captain: it makes zero sense to give the armband to a goalkeeper, it’s no coincidence that the vice captain is responsible for speaking to the referee. Vincic also missed a yellow card on Pedri at the start of the match for a foul on Pellegrini: first full ball then leg, without a second movement. She didn’t have any impact but she still never fully convinces me. We will see him again much later in the final stages.”
For Casarin Vincic too nervous
In the Corriere della Sera instead, the analysis of the former referee and designer Paolo Casarin: “A hard-fought match from the start which forced Vincic to take one direction with lots of whistles. In the first quarter of an hour there was no protest but then a foul against an Italian player without punishment provoked a protest from Donnarumma. The yellow is immediate. Vincic is also nervous as he doesn’t seem to be able to reduce the level of fouls among the 22. At the end of the first half the Spaniard Rodri also received yellow. We start again with a foul by Cristante, who is booked. The Spaniards also committed yellow card fouls, in the 68th minute it was the turn of Le Normand and towards the end also the expert Carvajal. Vincic is committed to keeping the match in order, but towards the end the scrums also arrive. Var inactive. Referee surprised by too many fouls.”
