SOMALI REFEREE DENIED WORLD CUP OFFICIATING ‘PROUD’ TO OFFICIATE UEFA SUPER CUP
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By ‘Sefiu Ajape
Somalian referee Omar Artan, who missed the World Cup after being denied entry into the United States, will officiate the UEFA Super Cup clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old referee was thrust into the spotlight shortly before the World Cup in June after he was denied entry upon arrival at Miami International Airport, despite being among the referees selected by FIFA for the tournament.
Reflecting on the incident in an interview published on the UEFA website, Artan described the experience as a difficult period.
“It was a very tough period,” Artan said.
“A lot of people have sympathy for me, because when someone has been working a lot of years and is supposed to do something, and then can’t do it, it’s very challenging.”
A US State Department official told AFP that Artan was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations”, therefore “making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States”.
Artan rejected the allegations, while the incident sparked outrage in Somalia, where he was received as a hero following his return.
“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at the time, adding: “We don’t control everything.”
Following the incident, UEFA, the governing body of European football, announced that Artan would take charge of the UEFA Super Cup between Champions League winners PSG and Europa League winners Aston Villa.
“I was lucky, but I have worked very hard to be here, and I’m really proud,” Artan told UEFA.
“As you can imagine, I grew up in a difficult situation, but it didn’t prevent me from pursuing my dreams.”
Artan became the first Somali referee to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024 and will now take charge of his first European fixture.
“Having adventures, making memories, and learning new things is always great,” he said. “When we got this call, it was, for me and my family, really a very, very happy moment.”
UEFA attributed the appointment partly to the cooperation agreement it signed with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in April, aimed at strengthening collaboration between the two continental bodies.
The decision, however, also carries political significance amid UEFA’s increasingly strained relationship with FIFA and its president, Infantino.
The tension has intensified in recent weeks over FIFA’s now-abandoned proposal to open up stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.
The proposal was ultimately withdrawn following widespread opposition, particularly from UEFA, which had threatened a boycott of FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, in its efforts to pressure Infantino to step down.
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