Drugs, prostitutes, police arrest: World Cup referee Slavic Vincic has gotten over stain

One thing that Slavic Vincic will never forget in his life is the day he chose to have a business lunch in Bosnia in 2022.

It seems the scar that the day left on the FIFA world cup referee has not yet healed as it surfaces in the media again today.

As he is officiating Lionel Messi's Argentina game, a report in The India Express once again brought to light what Slavic Vincic calls his "biggest mistake", which he regrets.

Back then, a video of him showed police detained him sitting in a cabin, head bowed, surrounded by nine semi-clad women, 26 men and weapons and cocaine along with an alleged prostitution ringleader.

Vincic reportedly later told Slovenian reporters that he ended up with the gang after accepting an invitation for a business lunch.

He said he was sitting at a table when police barged in and added that he and his business partners had nothing to do with the group that was arrested.

"Yes, they really took us to the police, asked as witnesses, when it turned out that we didn't even know them, we were able to go," Vincic was quoted as saying.

A statement released by the Bijelina police back then claimed to have recovered 14 packages of cocaine, 10 pistols and three suits of body armour, over 10,000 euros alongside phones and laptops during the search of a house and vehicles used by the suspects.

In truth, police were hot on the heels of a man called Maksimovic who had tried to illegally cross the border River of Drina that lies between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

The Slovenian referees' association head Vlada Sain then said that Vincic was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sain added that the stain on his reputation could damage his refereeing career.

But things eventually turned out well for Vincic as he emerged unsullied to officiate in the world cup games.