2023-10-24 13:24:33
There is a beginning for everything. This Wednesday (9 p.m.), PSG, which faces AC Milan for its third group match of the Champions League, will be refereed for the first time by Slavko Vincic. The Slovenian referee was appointed by UEFA for this match, which must be synonymous with redemption for the Parisians after their disappointment (4-1) at Newcastle.
At 43, Slavko Vincic is preparing to discover the lawn of the Parc des Princes for the first time. On the other hand, he is one of the experienced referees with 26 Champions League matches under his belt since the 2016-2017 season. He led 20 group matches, four round of 16 matches and two quarter-final matches, a level he never exceeded.
If he is on the whistle for the first time in a PSG match, he has already officiated during an AC Milan outing. It was November 21, 2021 for a trip to Atlético Madrid, which ended in an Italian victory (0-1). During the 26 C1 matches, Slavko Vincic only handed out two red cards and whistled three penalties.
The Slovenian was also present at the last World Cup in Qatar where he refereed two matches: Saudi Arabia-Argentina, which saw the surprise defeat (1-2) of the future world champions and Wales-England (0- 3), two group stage matches.
Slavko Vincic has also refereed other French teams. The latter often suffered when the Slovenian was in charge. Like Marseille, beaten (0-2) at Tottenham last season, or Monaco, crushed (0-3) at Porto in 2017, in two Champions League matches. In the end, it was Saint-Étienne who came out the best by beating Inter Milan (1-1) in the Europa League on November 6… 2014!
Involved in several controversies
It went much better with the French team, which crossed paths with the Slovenian three times. The first time dates back to October 8, 2015 during a friendly match against Armenia, won easily 4-0. In the Euro 2020 qualifiers, France did not tremble in Albania (2-0). Finally, Slavko Vincic refereed the French for the last time on September 4, 2021 during a World Cup qualifier in Ukraine (1-1).
That’s the tails side, because Slavko Vincic also has a tails side. In recent years, he has been involved in several controversies. The latest dates back to March 14, 2023 during the round of 16 return between Manchester City and the Germans Leipzig, pulverized 7-0. RB Leipzig supporters have not forgotten a disputed penalty awarded to the English, but especially the violent exit of the Manchester City goalkeeper on Konrad Laimer punished with a yellow card for… a German player.
In 2022, the Slovenian suffered the lightning of FC Barcelona, beaten 1-0 at Inter Milan. The Barcelonans have long considered filing a complaint with UEFA for the arbitration of the Slovenian and his colleagues. “They deny us a goal for a handball, then they don’t give us the penalty,” Sergi Roberto lamented after the match.
Finally in 2020, the referee was involved in a morals affair. Arrested and handcuffed, he was arrested by the Bosnian police at Bijeljina airport regarding a drug and prostitution case during an evening where he was allegedly a customer.
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