UEFA appoints Somali referee for Super Cup after World Cup snub

BY Adegboyega Adeleye

UEFA has appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup just days after he was denied entry into the United States and ruled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Artan, who was set to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, will take charge of the UEFA Super Cup clash between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League champions Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, on August 12.

Announcing the appointment on Thursday, UEFA said the decision followed discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) under a recently signed cooperation agreement between the two bodies.

The 34-year-old has been on FIFA’s international referees list since 2018 and was named CAF Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025. Among the biggest matches of his career was the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin praised the Somali official, describing him as one of the leading young referees in world football.

“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,” Čeferin said.

“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.”

CAF President Patrice Motsepe also welcomed the decision, saying Artan had made Somalia and Africa proud through his achievements on the international stage.

“Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African continent extremely proud,” Motsepe said.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

The appointment comes amid continuing debate over Artan’s exclusion from the FIFA World Cup. The Somali referee was among the officials selected for the tournament but was denied entry at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid visa and FIFA accreditation.

Artan later revealed he underwent an 11-hour immigration interview before being detained and placed on a return flight. FIFA subsequently confirmed that he would be unable to officiate at the World Cup, making his case one of several controversies surrounding the tournament, alongside Iran’s complaints over revoked fan ticket allocations and visa-related concerns affecting participating nations.

Vanguard News

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