Cairo [Egypt], June 11 (ANI): Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on Saturday 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.

Artan has established himself as one of the world's top referees and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018. Among the most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final. In recognition of his performances, he received the CAF Men's Referee of the Year Award 2025, according to the CAF Media website.

Artan had been included by FIFA in the match officials' list for the FIFA World Cup 2026, but could not participate as he was not allowed to enter the United States.

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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.

Earlier, Omar Abdulkadir Artan on Wednesday said the decision to bar him from entering the United States for the FIFA World Cup 2026 was unfortunate.

Artan, Africa's referee of the year in 2025, had been set to become the first Somali to officiate at soccer's global showpiece, but was turned back by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over the weekend, according to Reuters.

The Trump administration said on Tuesday that the US had denied Artan entry for the World Cup because of his links to suspected members of terror organisations.

'What happened has happened, and it was unfortunate. I am grateful for the support FIFA gave me,' Artan told reporters after arriving in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and urged his supporters to stand behind their country, as quoted by Reuters.

'Somalia is ours, whether things are good or bad. I want to tell our youth not to lose hope in our country,' he said. 'I am now in my country, and there is no other place I want to be,' he added.

According to Reuters, a FIFA spokesperson said Artan will no longer be able to train or officiate at the tournament, which will be hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada and begins on Thursday.

Somalia's government said it had made unsuccessful efforts to engage with both the United States and FIFA to secure Artan's entry, expressing regret over the situation.

Without naming him directly, US Customs and Border Protection said a Somali national arriving at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday was denied entry due to 'vetting concerns.'

An administration official later stated that CBP had assessed the individual as a potential national security risk. (ANI)