UEFA appointed Slavko Vincic as referee for the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on June 1. In terms of European club football, there is no bigger honour.
But what do we know of Vincic?
Vincic comes from Slovenia – the same country as UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin. He was born in Maribor 44 years ago and has been an international-listed referee since 2010.
He hit the headlines in 2020 when he was wrongly arrested in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of a police raid on a ranch linked to a drugs and prostitution ring. He was swiftly released with no further action when police realised he did not know any of the other people taken into custody.
🏆 The referees for each of this season’s European club finals have been announced! #UCLfinal: Slavko Vinčić 🇸🇮#UWCLfinal: Rebecca Welch 🏴#UELfinal: Istvan Kovacs 🇷🇴#UECLfinal: Artur Soares Dias 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/9SizFWQPYA
— UEFA (@UEFA) May 13, 2024
Which games has he overseen?
The Wembley clash will be his second European final after he took charge of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League game with Rangers in 2022.
He has refereed seven games in the Champions League this season, including Dortmund’s quarter-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, and the round of 16 second leg between Bayern Munich and Lazio.
Who will assist him at Wembley?
Assistant referees: Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic (Slovenia)
Fourth official: Francois Letexier (France)
VAR: Nejc Kajtazovic (Slovenia)