2026 World Cup: Referee Artan Gets His Revenge
The case of Omar Abdulkadir Artan caused a stir in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States: the Somali referee was turned away upon arrival at the airport by U.S. border police and sent back to Africa despite having been selected by FIFA as one of the tournament’s match officials. Artan, who would have been the first Somali referee at the World Cup, had been welcomed as a hero in his homeland, first at the airport, then in front of thousands of fans at the stadium.
As a small consolation, UEFA stepped in and decided to appoint him to referee the 2026 UEFA Super Cup match between PSG and Aston Villa, scheduled for the start of next season. “Following discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), UEFA today appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, which will be played on August 12 in Salzburg between Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League winner, and Aston Villa, the Europa League winner.”
“Despite his young age, Artan has established himself as one of the best referees in the world and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018. Among the most important matches he has refereed is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final. In recognition of his performance, he received the 2025 CAF Referee of the Year award. Artan had been included by FIFA on the list of match officials for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but was unable to participate because he was not permitted to enter the United States,” the Federation stated.
“The decision to appoint Artan as referee for the UEFA Super Cup was made under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between UEFA and CAF to promote cooperation in many areas, including refereeing. UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to the development of soccer at all levels and to the promotion of the fundamental values of unity, equality, and non-discrimination.”
These are the words of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin: “Football is meant to bring people together, and UEFA wants to show its respect for Omar and his exceptional refereeing skills, which have earned him such a prestigious appointment. I am grateful to my friend, CAF President Patrice Motsepe, for enthusiastically supporting our initiative.”
