UEFA surprises referee barred from entering the World Cup

Tel Aviv, 11.6 / Sport1, an unusual announcement from UEFA: Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States last Saturday despite being slated to officiate at the 2026 World Cup, has been appointed to referee the UEFA Super Cup match between Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League winners Aston Villa. The match will be held on August 12 in Salzburg, Austria.

"Omar Artan is a young and excellent referee, who has already gained significant experience and proved himself at the highest levels of the African Football Confederation. Football is meant to bring people together, and UEFA wishes to express its appreciation for Omar and his impressive refereeing abilities," said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin in a statement released today (Thursday).

The 34-year-old Artan was chosen as Africa's Referee of the Year for 2025 and was included on FIFA's list of 52 referees for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. But when he arrived on Saturday at Miami International Airport in Florida, he was refused entry and had to return to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, where he was received yesterday as a national hero. According to him, he held a valid entry visa.

A State Department official told AFP that Artan is "linked to people suspected of belonging to terrorist organizations," and therefore "is not eligible to enter the United States." The incident caused outrage in Somalia and reignited the controversy surrounding the United States' strict immigration policy.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed the matter at a press conference in Mexico City: "It is unfortunate what happened to him, but we do not control everything. We always try to find solutions, but we must respect the fact that we are not kings of the world who can dictate to governments and police forces what to do."