Somali referee denied entry to the US set to officiate UEFA Super Cup final

A Somali football referee who was denied entry to the United States ahead of the World Cup is set to officiate the UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.

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In a statement on Thursday, UEFA said it had appointed Omar Artan to the role after discussions with its sister confederation, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF).

Artan is regarded as one of the world's top officials and received the 2025 CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award.

The Super Cup final, which sees the winners of the Champions League face off against the holders of the Europa League, is set to take place on 12 August at Stadion Salzburg in Austria.

Aleksander Čeferin, the president of UEFA, 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".

"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," he added.

Artan had been due to take charge of his first World Cup fixture this summer, but he was denied entry to the US at Miami International Airport after border authorities deemed him "inadmissible due to vetting concerns".

Artan told The New York Times on Tuesday that he had been questioned by US border officials about his documentation and career for 11 hours before being taken to a holding cell and then 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 continued, adding that he had the "right papers" and the "right visa".

He returned home to Somalia on Wednesday to a hero's welcome, with a swarm of fans and photographers waiting to greet him as he stepped off the plane in Mogadishu.