Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup, has been appointed to take charge of the Uefa Super Cup match between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa. The contest is scheduled for 12 August in Salzburg.

Artan, a Fifa-listed referee since 2018, was named the 2025 Caf men's referee of the year. He was barred from entering the US due to alleged "association with suspected members of terror organisations", despite holding a diplomatic passport and valid visa.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin praised Artan as "an excellent young but already experienced referee" and stated that "football is made to connect people". The appointment follows an agreement between Uefa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

Artan will become the first non-European official to referee the Super Cup. The move is widely seen as a pointed response by Uefa to the US regime's travel restrictions, which prevented Artan from officiating at the World Cup under Fifa's auspices.

Source: www.bbc.com