Somali referee denied US entry to officiate UEFA Super Cup final

Somali football referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States in May while attempting to officiate World Cup matches, has now been appointed to take charge of the UEFA Super Cup final. The match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa – winners of the Champions League and Europa League respectively – will take place on 12 August at Stadion Salzburg in Austria.

UEFA announced on Thursday that Artan had been appointed to the role after discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Artan, who received the 2025 CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award, is regarded as one of the world's top officials.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin described Artan as an "excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football". He added, "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."

Artan had been due to officiate his first World Cup match this summer, but he was denied entry to the US at Miami International Airport after border authorities deemed him "inadmissible due to vetting concerns". He told The New York Times that he was questioned for 11 hours about his documentation and career before being taken to a holding cell and flown to Istanbul. "I am very, very disappointed," he said. "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." He insisted he had the "right papers" and the "right visa".

Artan returned to Somalia on Wednesday to a hero's welcome, with a crowd of fans and photographers greeting him at the airport in Mogadishu.