The story of Omar Artan, the Somali referee who was chosen by FIFA for World Cup, but had to turn back because the United States refused his visa, became well known worldwide, and UEFA quickly offered him the job of officiating the UEFA Super Cup match, taking place this Wednesday, August 12, between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.
Artan revealed that, after he was denied the chance of working at World Cup (a huge feat for Artan and the whole of Somalia) "it was a very tough period", he told UEFA, and a lot of people showed sympathy for him. Later, when he was told he would officiate the UEFA Super Cup, his first match in Europe, he and his family were very happy. "This will be my first match in Europe. Having adventures, making memories and learning new things is always great," Artan said.
The referee, who won the award for CAF Men's Referee of the Year Award 2025 after officiating the CAF Champions League final, said that UEFA and CAF have a lot of things to learn from each other. "For me, it's fantastic that CAF is working with UEFA, the best confederation in the world for referees. The standard in Europe is fantastic and the football they play is very, very good. I believe that CAF referees can learn a lot from UEFA, and UEFA referees can also learn a lot from CAF."
