Somali referee Omar Artan will take charge of the European Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, UEFA has announced. The appointment comes two months after United States immigration authorities turned him away at the border, costing him a place at the World Cup.
Turned away in Miami
The 34-year-old referee was refused entry at Miami International Airport even though he had been named to the panel of officials selected by FIFA for the tournament. Speaking in an interview published on UEFA's website, Artan said it had been a very difficult period, and that many people had shown him sympathy because working for years toward a goal only to be unable to carry it out was very trying.
State Department cited terrorism links
The US State Department justified the refusal by saying Artan was linked to people suspected of belonging to terrorist organizations, which it said made him ineligible to enter the country. Artan rejected the accusations, and the decision caused outrage in Somalia, where he was welcomed home as a hero. FIFA president Gianni Infantino limited his comment to saying that what had happened to Artan was unfortunate, but that FIFA did not control everything.
UEFA steps in
In response, UEFA, the governing body of European football, announced that Artan would referee the Super Cup, which pits the winner of the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain, against the winner of the Europa League, Aston Villa. Artan told UEFA he had been lucky, but that he had worked very hard to get to this point and was really proud of it.
Artan became the first Somali to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024, and Wednesday's match will be his first in Europe. He said having adventures, making memories and learning new things was always wonderful, and offered one piece of advice: never stop dreaming. UEFA pointed to a protocol it signed with the Confederation of African Football at the end of April to encourage cooperation between the two confederations as part of its reasoning for the appointment.
A gesture amid UEFA-FIFA tensions
The appointment is also seen as a political gesture by UEFA, which has been regularly critical of FIFA. It carries added weight given a conflict that has pitted the European body against Infantino for the past two weeks over FIFA's abandoned plan to open itself to private investors, a plan that collapsed largely because of opposition led by UEFA. UEFA continues to raise the threat of boycotting tournaments, including World Cups, in an effort to force Infantino out.
