World Cup final referee Slavko Vincic experienced an embarrassing moment during Sunday's championship match in East Rutherford, New Jersey, when his vanishing spray canister malfunctioned.
Vincic, who officiated the sport's biggest game, was attempting to mark a free-kick for Spain in the second half of their match against Argentina. As he pulled the canister from his back pocket, the spray inadvertently discharged directly into the face of Spanish winger Alex Baena, who was standing behind him.
The mixture of water and propellant gases did not force Baena out of the game. He remained on the field until the 75th minute before being substituted by Nico Williams.
The incident drew immediate reactions online, with some fans attempting to attribute the mishap to a deliberate act to favor Argentina, which ultimately lost the match 1-0. Posts on social media platform X speculated about the referee's intentions.
Argentina fans had previously expressed apprehension about Vincic officiating the final. The 46-year-old Slovenian referee is highly experienced, having also taken charge of the 2024 Champions League final and Spain's Euro 2024 semi-final victory. His past includes a controversial arrest at a 2020 event.
Concerns in the Argentine media also focused on Vincic's history with their national team. He officiated Argentina's opening match defeat to Saudi Arabia at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which remains the last World Cup match involving Argentina that he has overseen. The team recovered from that loss to win the tournament.
Vincic's other matches at the current World Cup included a group-stage draw between Brazil and Morocco, Algeria's win over Jordan, and Mexico's victory over Ecuador. During Sunday's final, Vincic issued a red card to Argentina's Enzo Fernández in stoppage time, which would have impacted the team's midfield options had the game gone into extra time.