Somali referee Omar Artan, who was unable to officiate at the FIFA World Cup after being denied entry into the United States, has been selected to oversee this summer’s UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.
The fixture, which will pit Champions League winners PSG against Europa League champions Aston Villa, is scheduled for August 12 in Salzburg, Austria.
UEFA announced the appointment in a statement on Thursday, noting that the decision followed consultations with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin praised Artan’s credentials, saying: “Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football.
“Football is made to connect people, and Uefa wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.
“I am grateful to my friend Caf president Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.”
Artan, who was named CAF Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025 and has been a FIFA-listed international referee since 2018, had been set to make history as the first Somali official to referee at a World Cup finals tournament.
However, his participation was cut short when US border authorities in Miami refused him entry despite his possession of a diplomatic passport and a valid single-entry visa.
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A US government official stated on Wednesday that Artan was denied access because of an alleged “association with suspected members of terror organisations”.
The incident came amid travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump on several countries, including Somalia. Following discussions with US authorities, FIFA confirmed that Artan would be unable to take part in the tournament.
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Speaking to The New York Times earlier this week, Artan said immigration officials questioned him about alleged links to the Somali militant group Al Shabab, insisting that he had no knowledge of the organisation.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” said Artan.
“I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”
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