Somalian referee Omar Artan will officiate the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on Wednesday. This comes after he was denied the chance to referee at the World Cup because he was refused entry to the United States.
Before the World Cup started in June, the 34-year-old referee found himself in the news for the wrong reasons. He was turned away at Miami International Airport, even though he was selected by FIFA as part of the referees’ panel for the tournament.
“It was a very tough period,” Artan said in an interview on the UEFA website. “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” and was therefore “ineligible for admission to the United States.” These claims were rejected by Artan and caused anger in Somalia. He returned home to a hero’s welcome.
“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, adding, “We don’t control everything.”
In a positive turn, UEFA announced that Artan would referee the UEFA Super Cup, featuring Champions League winners PSG against 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.” He is set to be the first Somali to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024, and now he will referee his first match in Europe.
“Having adventures, making memories and learning new things is always great,” he added. “When we got this call it was, for me and my family, really a very, very happy moment.”
To explain its choice to appoint Artan for the Super Cup, UEFA pointed to an agreement it signed in April with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). This agreement aims to boost cooperation between the two organizations.
But this also serves as a political move by UEFA, which often criticizes FIFA. The significance of this decision is heightened by the ongoing conflict between the two bodies related to the failed plan to allow private investors into the World Cup.
This plan collapsed mainly because of a revolt led by UEFA, which has threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments, including the World Cups, to push Infantino to resign.
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