Slavko Vincic, the Slovenian referee set to officiate the Champions League round of 16 second leg between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, was previously questioned by police in connection with a drug and prostitution ring operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2020. Vincic was cleared of any wrongdoing after being detained as a witness.
The 46-year-old referee found himself at a business lunch in Bijeljina when police raided the premises. Vincic explained that he had accepted a lunch invitation for a business meeting, but the location was targeted by law enforcement as part of a crackdown on unrelated criminal activities. Police seized 14 packages of cocaine, 10 pistols, three suits of body armour, over 10,000 euros in various currencies, phones, and laptops during the operation.
Speaking to Slovenian media, Vincic stated: 'I found myself on this ranch by chance. I have my own company, I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a business meeting. I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I regret it.' He added that he and his business partners were taken to the police station, questioned as witnesses, and released once it was established they had no connection to the arrested group.
Vlado Sajn, president of the Slovenian Football Referees Association, confirmed that no charges were filed against Vincic. 'According to the information we have gathered from official and unofficial sources and from Slavko himself, he is not suspected of anything,' Sajn said.
Vincic is an elite referee who officiated the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. He previously took charge of Chelsea's win over Barcelona in November and PSG's draw with Newcastle United in January. Chelsea will aim to overturn a three-goal deficit against PSG at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
