Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States to referee at the World Cup, has been appointed to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa later this summer, writes BBC.
The match between PSG, which won the Champions League last season, and Aston Villa, which triumphed in the Europa League, is scheduled to take place on August 12 in Salzburg.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: “Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee who has proven himself at the highest level of Confederation of African Football competitions.
“Football is about connecting people and UEFA would like to show its respect for Omar and his exceptional refereeing skills, which have earned him such a prestigious nomination.”
“I am grateful to my friend, CAF President Patrice Motsepe, for his enthusiastic support of our initiative.”
Artani, the 2025 Caf Men’s Match Referee of the Year, who has been on FIFA’s international roster since 2018, was scheduled to be the first Somali to referee at the World Cup finals.
However, he was rejected by border officials in Miami despite holding a diplomatic passport and a single-entry US visa.
On Wednesday, a US government official said that Artani had not been allowed to enter the country due to his “association with suspected members of terrorist organizations.”
Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump and after speaking with US authorities, world governing body FIFA said Artani would miss the tournament.
