Referee confirmed for Super Cup final

On August 12 in Salzburg, the UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa will have an unexpected star off the field: Somali Omar Artan, who will be the first African referee to officiate a major UEFA final.

UEFA support

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin publicly supported the referee and stressed that "football unites people," highlighting his qualities above any bureaucratic obstacles that may have occurred in his disqualification from refereeing at the World Cup. The appointment is also part of a memorandum of understanding between UEFA and CAF, which seeks to strengthen refereeing cooperation between Europe and Africa.

Artan was unable to officiate the World Cup 

The other side of the story is that Artan was left out of the 2026 World Cup due to logistical problems related to his visa and the training he had to complete in Florida.

Artan was elected CAF Male Referee of the Year 2025 and officiated the return leg of the 2025-26 African Champions League final, establishing himself as one of the most respected referees on the continent.

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