Omar Artan speaks after US entry refusal, set to referee UEFA Super Cup

Somali referee Omar Artan has spoken publicly for the first time about being refused entry to the United States at Miami International Airport on June 6 while en route to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He is due to referee Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

Artan had been selected as a match official for the World Cup and was due to become the first Somali referee to officiate at the tournament. He was denied entry despite holding a valid visa; US Customs and Border Protection said he was deemed inadmissible because of "vetting concerns", without providing further details, and FIFA subsequently confirmed he would not be able to participate. "It was a very tough period," Artan told UEFA.com. "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." "I really appreciate the support I received throughout the world. I'm so grateful," he said.

Five days after Artan was refused entry, UEFA appointed him to referee the Super Cup following discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). He will become the first non-European referee to oversee the UEFA Super Cup when Paris Saint-Germain face Aston Villa at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg on Wednesday. The match will also mark Artan's first refereeing assignment in Europe.

UEFA said the appointment was made under a cooperation agreement signed with CAF this year to strengthen collaboration between the two organisations. "This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees," CAF president Patrice Motsepe said, according to UEFA. Artan said the news of his Super Cup appointment brought immense joy to his family and Somali communities across Europe. "When we got this call, it was, for me and my family, really a very, very happy moment," he said. "There's a big Somali community in Europe and in Austria, and they are over the moon with me officiating a match like this."

Artan, 34, joined FIFA's international list of match officials in 2018. He became the first Somali referee to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024. He later became the first Somali official to referee a CAF Champions League final and was named CAF Men's Referee of the Year in 2025.

Reflecting on his journey and the setbacks he has faced, Artan urged aspiring referees to continue believing in their ambitions: "I believe that if I can succeed, anyone can. You can do whatever you want to do. Don't ever stop dreaming," he said. He will take charge of the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg on Wednesday.