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David GOMBE

Somali soccer referee Omar Artan has been appointed because the referee for the UEFA Tremendous 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 a press release which reads,

“We’re happy to share that Somali referee Omar Artan will officiate the extremely anticipated match between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg.”

“The choice to nominate Artan to officiate the UEFA Tremendous Cup match has been made within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) just lately signed between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in lots of areas, together with refereeing. UEFA and CAF are united by a shared dedication to creating soccer in any respect ranges and selling the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.”

Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president, stated,

“Omar Artan is a wonderful younger however already skilled referee, who has confirmed himself on the highest competitors stage of the Confederation of African Soccer. Soccer is made to attach individuals, and UEFA needs to indicate its respect to Omar and his excellent officiating abilities, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination. I’m grateful to my pal CAF President Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.”

Dr Patrice Motsepe, CAF president, stated,

“Omar Artan has made Somalia and your complete individuals of the African Continent, extraordinarily proud. His receipt of the CAF Males’s Referee of the Yr Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing skill and the worldwide respect that he enjoys. I’m very grateful to my pal, Aleksander Čeferin for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Tremendous Cup 2026 match. It is a nice honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and can also be a superb instance of soccer, bringing collectively and uniting individuals from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

The event comes after Artan was denied an opportunity to make his World Cup debut when the United State barred him from coming into.

Artan was anticipated to grow to be the primary Somali to officiate in a World Cup match.

US Customs and Border Safety stated 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 issues.

Final yr, the Trump administration imposed a journey ban on residents of 12 international locations, together with Somalia.

A FIFA spokesperson stated the organisation was “not concerned in host nation immigration ⁠processes, together with visa adjudications, and has been knowledgeable ‌by authorities that Mr Artan’s standing ‌won’t be modified at current”.

Artan would even be unable to referee video games in Mexico and Canada.

Artan has established himself as one of many world’s prime referees and has been on the FIFA worldwide listing since 2018. Among the many most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League remaining. In recognition of his performances, he obtained the CAF Males’s Referee of the Yr Award 2025.