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UEFA appointed the Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup final this Thursday, just two days after he returned to Mogadishu as a national hero following a ban from the United States for participating in the World Cup.
According to the agency EFE, Artan will officiate the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, on August 12.
The appointment was made as part of the collaboration agreement between UEFA and the African Football Confederation (CAF), following negotiations between the two organizations.
The president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, justified the selection with a straightforward message: “Football brings people together, and UEFA wants to show its respect for Omar and his exceptional refereeing work.”
The president of CAF, Patrice Motsepe, expressed his gratitude for the gesture and went further: "Artan has filled Somalia and the entire African continent with pride. This is a great honor for him and for African referees, as well as an excellent example of how football can unite people from Africa, Europe, and the rest of the world."
Artan, 34 years old, had been selected by FIFA to officiate at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first Somali referee in history to be appointed to a World Cup.
However, upon arriving at Miami International Airport last Saturday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied him entry after an 11-hour interrogation, citing "issues with the background check process."
Artan carried multiple three-month entry visas and a diplomatic passport provided by the Somali Embassy in Nairobi, but he was immediately placed on a flight back to Istanbul.
An anonymous U.S. official later cited the alleged "association with individuals suspected of terrorist organizations" as the reason for the rejection; during the interrogation, he was asked about Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab.
FIFA confirmed its exclusion from the tournament and stated that "it does not participate in the immigration processes of the host country."
The case is framed within the immigration policy of the Trump administration, which, through a presidential proclamation on June 4, 2025, suspended entry to the U.S. for nationals from 12 countries, including Somalia, without providing automatic exceptions for athletes accredited by international bodies.
On Wednesday, Artan landed in Mogadishu, where dozens of fans, journalists, and officials were waiting for him with flowers and flags at Aden Adde Airport.
The Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, received him in his office and expressed the "absolute" support of the government and the Somali people.
Artan has been part of FIFA's international referees list since 2018 and was named Male Referee of the Year by CAF in 2025, an honor that led to his inclusion in the World Cup roster.
After learning of his exclusion from the World Cup, the Somali referee stated, “The World Cup is the biggest dream of my life,” and added that he hopes to be present at the next edition of the tournament.
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