The referee for the World Cup final, Slavko Vincic, has dismissed suggestions that Lionel Messi resorted to using the dark arts during Argentina’s defeat to Spain.
Argentina have come under fire for their combative approach to the final as Ferran Torres’ goal in extra time secured Spain the World Cup trophy for the second time in their history.
Messi, meanwhile, received criticism for his attempt to get Marc Cucurella sent off after the Spain left-back momentarily spoke with his hand over his mouth, an offence which saw Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron dismissed earlier in the tournament.
However, Slovenian official Vincic is adamant that Messi showed exemplary behaviour on the pitch, unlike many of his teammates.
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When asked about dealing with Argentina’s captain during the final, Vincic said: ‘That conversation will stay on the pitch.
‘But I can confirm that Messi was extremely sportsmanlike.’
Vincic, who announced his retirement following the World Cup, also claimed that the biggest challenge was dealing with the ’emotions’ of the players.
Argentina have now been charged by FIFA over the brawl in the immediate aftermath of their defeat to Spain.
Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina have both been charged alongside Argentina coach Roberto Ayala, who punched Spain midfielder Dani Olmo.
‘The burden is great when your entire refereeing career is poured into one match, but I knew that most of the work would be in managing the match… to stop at the right moment or let the action continue,’ Vincic said.
‘The biggest challenge was dealing with the emotions of the football players. This is the World Cup final, the mindsets and reactions are different, but given the importance of the match, we have to understand all of that. The biggest challenge, of course, is somehow managing everything during the match.
‘We are trying to study the characteristics of the players, what they do during the break, who commits the most fouls. Of course, it is not possible to prepare completely.
‘The match has its own course and within that you try to do your job as well as possible. Within that, you have to decide whether to start with warnings or cards. But it is a kind of automatism that comes from experience during your career. Sometimes you succeed better, sometimes not.
‘After the final whistle, we were not too much of a problem, which indicates that we generally did an okay job, so I think the refereeing strategy was right.’
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