Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup and subsequently dropped by FIFA from its referees’ list for the ongoing 2026 World Cup, has been appointed to take charge of the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa later this summer.
The contest between PSG, who won the Champions League last term and Aston Villa, who triumphed in the Europa League, is scheduled to be held on August 12 in Salzburg.
In a statement, European football’s governing body said that decision had been taken after discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “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, the 2025 CAF men’s referee of the year, who has been on FIFA’s international list since 2018, was set to be the first Somali to referee at the World Cup finals.
However, he was turned away by border officials in Miami despite holding a diplomatic passport and a single-entry US visa.
On Wednesday, a US government official said Artan had not been allowed to enter the country because of his “association with suspected members of terror organisations”.
Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump and after speaking to the US authorities, world governing body FIFA said Artan would miss the tournament.
