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๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Nigeria /Sports

Somali referee Omar Artan, denied World Cup entry, to officiate UEFA Super Cup

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Somali referee Omar Artan, previously denied entry to the U.S. for the World Cup, will officiate the UEFA Super Cup.
  • The match is between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on August 12 in Salzburg.
  • UEFA cited Artan's excellent officiating skills and a desire to show respect after the U.S. denied him entry.

Somali referee Omar Artan, who was controversially denied entry to the United States for the World Cup, has been appointed to officiate the upcoming UEFA Super Cup match.

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.

โ€” Aleksander ฤŒeferinUEFA president's endorsement of Omar Artan's refereeing capabilities.

The prestigious fixture will see Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain face Europa League champions Aston Villa on August 12 in Salzburg. The decision to appoint Artan was made by UEFA following discussions with the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

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.

โ€” Aleksander ฤŒeferinUEFA's rationale for appointing Artan to the Super Cup after his World Cup visa issues.

UEFA president Aleksander ฤŒeferin expressed his confidence in Artan, describing him as an "excellent young but already experienced referee" who has proven himself at the highest levels within African football. ฤŒeferin emphasized that football's purpose is to connect people and that UEFA wishes to demonstrate respect for Artan's skills, which earned him this significant nomination. He also thanked Caf president Patrice Motsepe for his enthusiastic support of the initiative.

I am grateful to my friend Caf president Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.

โ€” Aleksander ฤŒeferinAppreciation for the support from the Confederation of African Football.

Artan, recognized as the 2025 Caf Men's Referee of the Year and a Fifa international list member since 2018, was poised to become the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup finals. However, U.S. border officials denied him entry in Miami, despite his diplomatic passport and visa. A U.S. government official cited an alleged "association with suspected members of terror organisations" as the reason for the denial.

association with suspected members of terror organisations

โ€” US government officialThe alleged reason provided by U.S. officials for denying Artan entry.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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