Omar Artan, the Somalian referee who was refused entry to the United States and subsequently ruled out of officiating at the World Cup, will take charge of the 2026 UEFA Super Cup.
The 34-year-old, named the 2025 African referee of the year, was turned away by border control at Miami International Airport on Monday despite holding a diplomatic passport and a single entry US visa.
A spokesperson for US president Donald Trump told the BBC that “derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organisations, was discovered making the traveller ineligible for admission to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act”.
Artan strenuously denied links to any organisation and subsequently returned home to Mogadishu and a hero’s reception.
Artan to officiate PSG v Aston Villa
UEFA announced today that Artan would now referee the game between European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League winners Aston Villa in Salzburg on August 12 under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding recently signed between UEFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to encourage co-operation in many areas, including refereeing.
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.”
Motsepe added: “Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African continent, extremely proud. His receipt of the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing ability and the international respect that he enjoys.
“I am very thankful to my friend, Aleksander Čeferin for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup 2026 match. 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.”
