World Cup final referee Slavko Vincic faces backlash despite Spain's victory

Spain's World Cup victory over Argentina has been overshadowed by sharp criticism of football referee Slavko Vincic, with leading Spanish broadcaster Manu Carreño accusing the Slovenian official of favouring the South American side during the final.

Speaking on Cadena SER's El Larguero after Spain's 1-0 extra-time win, Carreño claimed Vincic had been "Argentina's MVP", arguing that several key decisions had worked in the Albiceleste's favour.

"We've won, we're absolutely delighted, and the refereeing doesn't matter to us now. But what a disgrace Vincic's refereeing was," Carreño said.

The strongest criticism focused on a controversial incident deep into stoppage time, when Nico Williams appeared to have scored a dramatic late winner. However, Vincic disallowed the goal after penalising Mikel Merino for a foul on Nicolás Otamendi in the build-up, a decision that forced the match into extra time.

Spain eventually secured the World Cup title through Ferran Torres' winner in extra time, but Carreño argued the outcome did not diminish what he described as a poor refereeing display.

He also claimed Argentina, managed by Lionel Scaloni, had offered little going forward throughout the contest, accusing the reigning champions of relying almost exclusively on defensive tactics.

"They used every weapon they had because they had no others," Carreño said, adding that Spain had been the only side intent on playing attacking football.

Antonio Romero, who commentated on the final for Carrusel Deportivo, echoed the criticism, saying Argentina had "played the entire tournament under a different set of rules".

Carreño went on to describe Vincic's performance as "insidious" and said the officiating reflected a refereeing standard that had "left a great deal to be desired" throughout the World Cup.

The controversial decision to rule out Williams' goal has become one of the main talking points following the final, despite Spain ultimately lifting their second FIFA World Cup trophy.