Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate UEFA Super Cup

Artan will take charge of the August 12 clash in Salzburg between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa. Football fans in Kazakhstan will be able to watch the UEFA Super Cup final live on Qazsport TV channel.

UEFA appointed Artan following discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) under a recently signed cooperation agreement between the two organizations.

Artan had been selected by FIFA as a match official for the 2026 World Cup but was unable to participate after he was not allowed to enter the United States.

“It was a very tough period,” Artan told UEFA ahead of the Super Cup. “A lot of people have sympathy for me, because when someone has been working a lot of years and is supposed to do something, and then can't do it, it's very challenging.”

The Somali official, who has been on FIFA's international list since 2018, was named CAF Men's Referee of the Year in 2025.

“I was lucky, but I have worked very hard to be here, and I'm really proud,” Artan said. “I grew up in a difficult situation, but it didn't prevent me from pursuing my dreams.”

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin described Artan as an “excellent young but already experienced referee,” saying his performances had proven his ability at the highest level of African football.

Artan will be assisted by Djibouti's Liban Abdoulrazack Ahmed and Kenya's Stephen Eleazar Onyango Yiembe, marking another significant milestone for African refereeing on the European stage.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the Korea Football Association (KFA) had issued a public apology amid mounting controversy over its management, a police investigation, and allegations of misconduct dating back more than a decade.