* To take place on August 12 in Salzburg between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa FC
* Despite his young age, Artan has established himself as one of the world’s top referees and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018
Maravi Express
Somali referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied entry to the United States of America for the FIFA World Cup 2026 despite holding the right papers and the right visa, has being invited by Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to officiate the UEFA Super Cup 2026.
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The UEFA Super Cup 2026 will take place on August 12 in Salzburg, Austria, between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa FC.
A statement by posted by CAFonline says this follows discussions Confederation of African Football (CAF) between UEFA, taking cognizance that despite his young age, Artan has established himself as one of the world’s top referees and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018.
The most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final and in recognition of his performances, he was named CAF Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025.
Artan had been included by FIFA in the match officials’ list for the FIFA World Cup 2026 but could not participate as he was not allowed to enter the United States and the BBC Sport reported that on June 9, he was subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview at Miami International Airport before being denied entry — despite holding the “right papers” and “right visa”.
No reason for Artan’s repatriation was issued by US immigration authorities, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan was quoted as saying. “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.”
A Fifa statement confirmed that Artan was denied entry into the US but the world football governing body distanced itself from the decision’ saying its was “not involved in the host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications”.
FIFA indicated that it was informed by the US authorities that “Artan’s status will not be changed at present”, while a senior adviser to Somalia’s ministry of youth and sports told the BBC that Artan had been travelling with valid documents — including a diplomatic passport “specifically to ease his travel after earlier visa difficulties”.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Artan told the BBC, adding that after the 11-hour immigration interview, he was then taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul, Turkey.
The BBC spoke to Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, who said: “While I can’t go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision.”
The the ban also included that Artan would not be allowed to stay outside the United States and only referee matches played in Canada or Mexico.
“I think that they have a problem with my country,” Artan said in reference to what President Donald Trump said in in December, 2025 when he told reporters he does not want Somali immigrants in the US, and they should “go back to where they came from”.
Donald Trump
Meanwhile, CAFonline indicates that the decision to appoint Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match “has been made in the framework of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently signed between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in many areas, including refereeing”.
“UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.”
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin is quoted as saying: “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.
“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.
“I am grateful to my friend CAF President Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative,” said the UEFA president, while his CAF counterpart, Patrice Motsepe, said: “Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African continent, extremely proud.
“His receipt of the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing ability and the international respect that he enjoys.
“I am very thankful to my friend, Aleksander Čeferin for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup 2026 match. This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football, bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”—Additional reporting by the BBC Sport; edited by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express