Somali referee Omar Artan has described officiating the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa as his “World Cup” after being denied the opportunity to referee at the tournament itself. It will be recalled that the 34-year-old was among the referees selected by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup but was denied entry into the United States after arriving at Miami International Airport. Following the incident, UEFA invited Artan who is the reigning African best referee to officiate the Super Cup in Salzburg, where Paris Saint-Germain defeated Aston Villa 2-1. He thus made history when he took charge of the prestigious European fixture, becoming the first African referee to officiate a UEFA match. On Thursday, UEFA posted a photograph on X showing a match ball from the fixture bearing a message written by Artan: “This was my World Cup.” UEFA captioned the post: “A special Super Cup souvenir from Omar Artan.” Artan’s exclusion from the World Cup followed a US State Department claim that he was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations”, making him “ineligible for admission to the United States.” The Somali referee rejected the allegations, which triggered outrage in Somalia, where he received a hero’s welcome after returning home. Despite missing the World Cup, Artan’s appointment to officiate the UEFA Super Cup gave him the opportunity to take charge of a major international fixture on one of European football’s biggest stages. Artan on Thursday also took to Instagram to thank UEFA and the Confederation of African Football for supporting him. “Thanks to everyone who made this possible,” he wrote. Artan later took to Instagram on Thursday to thank UEFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for their support. “Thanks to everyone who made this possible,” he posted. “Especially to UEFA for giving me the trust and opportunity and who welcomed me (to) their continent with open arms.” He also thanked CAF, writing: “My own confederation, CAF, for the support and making this possible.” UEFA said its decision to appoint Artan was linked to the cooperation agreement it signed with CAF at the end of April, aimed at strengthening collaboration between the two confederations.
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