Referee arrested in Spain after alleged identity theft in bid to secure Villarreal discounts

Police reports state that one of the individuals involved supposedly exploited his position to obtain personal data and documentation from young players. Said information was then used to process Villarreal season tickets and discounts meant for individuals aged 25 and under.

The club initially alerted authorities having detected tampered tickets at stadium entrances. The investigation showed that suspects bought season tickets through the official platform before altering barcodes and QR codes.

The altered season tickets were then placed on digital marketplaces and second-hand apps, and were advertised as "gifts" in order to bypass legal price limits.

Investigators proved that one of the perpetrators registered 18 people as club members or season ticket holders having claimed they were part of a scout group from Valencia. They provided photocopies of IDs belong to the individuals who had no knowledge of the situation. 

The detainees have been released on bail after giving statements, with the case referred to the Vila-real courthouse. If found guilty, they could be fined anything between €601 and €30,000.

It's not the first time this season that a referee from Spain has landed themselves in hot water with police. Last year, an individual who officiates in the Spain's second division was arrested for assaulting a sex worker.

The referee reportedly impersonated a police offer in order to coerce her into sexual acts without payment. At the time of his arrest, the individual was carrying several Guardia Civil and National Police insignias.

A raid on his home, meanwhile, saw officers seize police-related items used in the deception.

Prior to becoming a referee, meanwhile, Slavko Vincic was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time having been mistakenly arrested after becoming embroiled in a police operation targeting a sex party.

In May 2020, the Slovenian, who officiated the 2024 Champions League final, was attending a business engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to a business venture separate from refereeing having accepted an invite to a lunch. However, while Vincic and others were innocently in attendance for a meal, they were detained by police during an operation that had become the target of unrelated parties at the venue.

Vincic was subsequently released and exonerated, with no wrongdoing on his part. "I found myself on this ranch by chance. I have my own company, I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a business meeting," he later said. "I accepted an invitation to lunch, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I regret it.

"I was sitting at a table with my company, all of a sudden the police came and what happened, happened. I have nothing to do with the group that was arrested and detained, nor do my business partners. 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."

Head of the Association of Football Referees of Slovenia, Vlado Sajn, called the incident "a web of unfortunate circumstances" while Vincic went on to officiate the Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley two years ago.

More recently, Vincic took charge of Paris Saint-Germain's 1-1 draw with Newcastle on the final matchday of the Champions League league phase last month. Vitinha opened the scoring on the night at the Parc des Princes before Joe Willock responded with a header on the stroke of half time.

The result saw both forced into a last-16 playoff, which they navigated successfully as PSG beat fellow French side Monaco 5-4 on aggregate, while Newcastle dispatched of Qarabag, winning 9-3 across both legs.

Vincic also oversaw Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Benfica on Wednesday night as Los Blancos came from behind to ultimately secure their spot in the last-16 and set up a meeting with Manchester City.