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David GOMBE
Somali soccer referee Omar Artan has been appointed as a result of the referee for the UEFA Great Cup contest between Champions League winners PSG and Europa League champions Aston Villa due on August twelfth 2026 in Salzburg.
UEFA confirmed Artan’s appointment on Thursday in an announcement which reads,
“We’re completely satisfied to share that Somali referee Omar Artan will officiate the extraordinarily anticipated match between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg.”
“The selection to appoint Artan to officiate the UEFA Great Cup match has been made throughout the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) simply these days signed between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in a number of areas, along with refereeing. UEFA and CAF are united by a shared dedication to creating soccer the least bit ranges and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.”
Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president, talked about,
“Omar Artan is an excellent youthful nonetheless already expert referee, who has confirmed himself on the best rivals stage of the Confederation of African Soccer. Soccer is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to point its respect to Omar and his wonderful officiating experience, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination. I’m grateful to my good pal CAF President Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.”
Dr Patrice Motsepe, CAF president, talked about,
“Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African Continent, terribly proud. His receipt of the CAF Males’s Referee of the 12 months Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing functionality and the worldwide respect that he enjoys. I’m very grateful to my good pal, Aleksander Čeferin for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Great Cup 2026 match. It’s a good honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and will also be an exquisite occasion of soccer, bringing collectively and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”
The occasion comes after Artan was denied a possibility to make his World Cup debut when the United State barred him from coming into.
Artan was anticipated to develop to be the first Somali to officiate in a World Cup match.
US Customs and Border Security talked about that, with out naming him, a Somali nationwide who arrived at Miami Worldwide Airport from Istanbul on Saturday was deemed inadmissible on account of vetting points.
Closing 12 months, the Trump administration imposed a journey ban on residents of 12 worldwide places, along with Somalia.
A FIFA spokesperson talked about the organisation was “not involved in host nation immigration processes, along with visa adjudications, and has been educated by authorities that Mr Artan’s standing received’t be modified at present”.
Artan would even be unable to referee video video games in Mexico and Canada.
Artan has established himself as one among many world’s prime referees and has been on the FIFA worldwide itemizing since 2018. Among the many many most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final. In recognition of his performances, he acquired the CAF Males’s Referee of the 12 months Award 2025.
