‘Respect’—UEFA Creates History for World Cup Referee Turned Away at U.S. Border

Omar Artan will still get a chance to write his page in soccer history.

Omar Artan was welcomed as a hero returning to Mogadishu, Somalia. | Abuukar Mohamed Muhidin/Anadolu/Getty Images

UEFA has appointed Omar Artan, the referee denied entry into the United States for the 2026 World Cup, to oversee this year’s Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

Handpicked by FIFA to referee at the tournament, Artan was turned away after flying into Miami from Istanbul. The Somali citizen, believed to be traveling with a diplomatic passport after difficulty acquiring a visa, was subject to additional inspection from Custom and Border Protection on arrival.

Artan was named Africa’s best referee by CAF in 2025 and officiated at last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, as well as one leg of Africa’s most recent Champions League final.

No specific reason for the entry denial was given at the time, but the BBC later cited a source in the Trump administration that accused Artan of “association with suspected members of terror organizations.” The referee subsequently informed the New York Times he had explained to immigration officials that he knew nothing of any such alleged links.

FIFA confirmed that Artan would therefore not be able to participate in the World Cup, having been on course to make history as Somalia’s first World Cup referee. Soccer’s world governing body insisted there was nothing else to be done beyond deferring to the local authorities, and was heavily criticized for seemingly washing its hands of the issue.

Now, Europe’s soccer body has stepped in to make a gesture to Artan, who has held himself with patience and acceptance through the ordeal. Although denied the chance to make World Cup history for his country, where he was welcomed like a hero upon returning this week, the 34-year-old will instead become the first non-European referee in the 53-year existence of the UEFA Super Cup.

It will be seen as a PR win for UEFA at FIFA’s expense.

The annual match, this year scheduled for Aug. 12 in Salzburg, sees the previous season’s Champions League winner faceoff against the Europa League winner. PSG won the trophy last year by beating Tottenham Hotspur in a penalty shootout following a 2–2 draw through 90 minutes.

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Africa ‘Proud’ of Omar Artan

Artan has been a FIFA referee for eight years. | Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty Images

UEFA already has a recently signed ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with African counterpart CAF to encourage cooperation between the confederations. One of the areas that agreement covers is refereeing, which made it an obvious play to recruit Artan for the Super Cup.

“Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said. “Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination. I am grateful to my friend CAF President Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.”

Motsepe declared: “Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African continent extremely proud. His receipt of the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing ability and the international respect that he enjoys.

“I am very thankful to my friend, Aleksander Čeferin, for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup 2026 match. This is a great honor for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football, bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

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