Overview
- Vinčić broke his post-retirement silence in interviews on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, saying he felt shock then pride when FIFA named him referee for the Argentina–Spain final.
- He stood by the red card for Enzo Fernández, explaining the decision came after two yellow-card offences and formed part of a deliberate disciplinary plan set early in the match.
- Vinčić defended VAR as essential to modern refereeing and said roughly 90% of VAR cases have been positive since its introduction.
- He credited his long-term assistants Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič and thanked the FIFA refereeing committee and Pierluigi Collina for their trust in appointing his team.
- Vinčić declined to reveal details of his on-field exchange with Lionel Messi but described Messi as sportsmanlike, and he presented his comments as a final account of how preparation, early-match criteria and technology shape contemporary elite officiating.