Slavko Vincic, the referee who took charge of the 2026 World Cup final, has cast his verdict on Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s behaviour during the game against Spain.

While Messi wasn’t involved in the heated post-match altercations that marred the final and prompted a FIFA investigation, the 39-year-old has still received heavy criticism for an incident involving Spain full-back Marc Cucurella.

Messi wanted action taken against Cucurella after the defender, who recently completed a move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, briefly put his hand to his mouth during an interaction with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Cucurella didn’t appear to be speaking to Messi in an aggressive manner, but Argentina’s No. 10 signalled to referee Vincic that an offence had been committed.

Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron and Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie were both shown straight red cards during the World Cup after FIFA implemented a new rule ahead of the tournament to prevent players from insulting opponents while covering their mouths.

No action was taken against Cucurella, despite Messi’s accusations, and the legendary forward has subsequently been blasted for his ‘shameless’ behaviour.

Spain fans have even created petitions calling for Messi to be stripped of the prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, which he won shortly before the 2026 World Cup got underway.

Slavko Vincic Speaks Out About Messi’s Behaviour

REUTERS/Lee Smith

Vincic, who announced his retirement one week after the World Cup final, has now spoken out about Messi’s conduct during the final.

The former Slovenian match official disagrees with suggestions that Messi showed unsportsmanlike behaviour during the final.

“That conversation will stay on the pitch,” Vincic told reporters, per The Metro.

Per beIN Sports, Vincic emphasised that Messi showed exemplary conduct on the field at all times, respecting his decisions, helping the game flow and displaying self-control even in high-pressure situations.

He added that Messi behaved like a positive leader without excessive protests.

On the final itself, Vincic said: “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.

“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.”

Leeds United have been given some bad news over their hopes of landing a new attacker this summer. The Whites are moving up the gears in their transfer window, looking to add to the signings of Harry Wilson and Tarik Muharemovic, and it looks as though Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford could be next.

Leeds are in talks over a £40million deal, which would be a club record, and a further goalkeeper deal will follow that to add depth to the position. But the Whites also have other areas to take care of as they look to avoid the relegation battle in the coming season, and a further striker is being sought by Farke and the club’s recruitment staff, leading them to a LaLiga star.

Leeds dealt fresh blow in Carlos Espí pursuit

Leeds were said to have been interested in a move for Levante striker Carlos Espí this summer, which has been backed up by local reporter Graham Smyth. The Whites didn’t make any formal approaches, but they are said to have had Espí on their shortlist, with the youngster having emerged as one of the most promising young forwards in Europe.

Espí helped Levante survive the LaLiga drop last season by scoring 11 times in the league, and he is still only 21 years of age. The Valencian region local has played a starring role for Las Granotas, which is why they were charging his full release clause to sell this summer, believed to be £21.4million. A number of clubs have been linked, including Villarreal just up the road, but there is a bigger Spanish fish in the water, and they have trumped all potential rivals to a deal.

It was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano on Thursday evening that Real Madrid have paid the full £21.4million release clause in Espí’s contract to sign him, and with the clubs announcing the deal, only the final details remain to finish off the transfer.

That’s bad news for the Whites, and fatal news as far as their hopes of landing Espí are concerned. Although with the Spanish youngster not likely to get immediate game time at the Bernabeu, a loan deal could be in the offing, something that was not on the table when it came to negotiating with Levante.

Espí was not going be sold for cheap

Reuters / Andrew Yates Livepic

Levante boss Luis Castro admitted earlier this summer that a sale was likely, but that the Valencian side were not going to be selling on the cheap. He said: “Carlos Espí has a great future ahead of him. I understand that the supporters want Espí to stay; I would like that too, but we have to think about the club. Espí will be a normal sale in today’s football because there are hardly any strikers like him.”

Espí was tipped for a Spain senior call-up last season, but he never quite got his chance in the lead up to the World Cup, with Luis de la Fuente prioritising players who were going to be taken to North America. But he is likely to get his call-up next season should he continue his fine form.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to delay their pursuit of Eli Junior Kroupi until 2027, after the Bournemouth striker suffered a serious injury setback in training this week, according to TEAMtalk.

Kroupi enjoyed an outstanding debut campaign in English football, netting 13 goals in 33 Premier League appearances as the Cherries qualified for Europe. This return has sparked interest from several top clubs across Europe, including the Lilywhites, Barcelona and Arsenal.

Spurs emerged as the frontrunners in the race to land the 20-year-old, and were reportedly set to make an opening offer for the player earlier this week.

However, while away with Bournemouth in Austria for pre-season training, Kroupi sustained a foot injury which requires surgery and will keep him out of action until the Christmas period, forcing Spurs to rethink their approach.

Tottenham to Move for Junior Kroupi Next Year

via Reuters

Spurs are in the market for a striker this summer. Richarlison is potentially on his way out of North London, while Dominic Solanke is yet to prove he can be a dependable option down the middle for a team with Champions League aspirations.

Kroupi had been the primary target, but the player’s abrupt injury means Spurs will now take stock and assess their options carefully.

TEAMtalk report that while Tottenham aren’t prepared to abandon their interest in the starlet, they won’t make a move for him this summer whilst he’s recovering from his setback, and will instead revisit the situation in January or in 12 months’ time.

Spurs have received encouragement from Kroupi’s representatives that the player is interested in swapping the south coast for N17, and this was enough for them to prepare a bid worth £80 million for the player, described as a ‘world-class talent’ by Cherries teammate Marcus Tavernier.

The North London club were even willing to pay over the odds to land the striker, although this injury has unsurprisingly altered their plans.

Tottenham to Look at Kroupi Alternatives

While a winger is expected to arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs aren’t giving up hope of signing a striker as well, even if they can’t acquire Kroupi.

Alternatives for the Cherries hitman are being lined up. Nicolas Tresoldi is on their radar, after the German enjoyed a fruitful season in front of goal for Club Brugge in 2025/26, netting 23 times across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Hoffenheim’s Fisnik Asllani has also been mooted as a target for the North Londoners. While the Kosovan only scored 10 goals in the Bundesliga last season, he’s attracting interest from RB Leipzig and Barcelona, highlighting the calibre of talent he’s perceived to be on the continent.