UEFA has revealed Somali referee Omar Artan will take charge of the 2026 Super Cup between Champions League Winners PSG and Europa Champions Aston Villa.
“Following discussions with its sister confederation, Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), UEFA has today appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, which will take place on 12 August in Salzburg between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa FC.” Reads a stament from UEFA.
The move comes after Artan was denied entry into United States of America where he was supposed to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA and US have since received a lot of backlash from the football world and beyond for the decision made by the US Immigration authorities.
“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.” The statement from UEFA reads further.
Last year Artan was named the CAF Best Male Referee for his remarkable performance. Last month he officiated the second leg of the CAF Champions League between Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR.
