Denied U.S. entry, Somali ref to officiate UEFA Super Cup

Somali referee Omar Artan has been assigned to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain, days after he was denied entry into the United States by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Artan was one of 52 FIFA head referees selected to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While he will no longer be making his World Cup debut, he will instead take charge of one of Europe's highest-profile matches on Aug. 12 in Salzburg, Austria.

Artan, 34, earned 2025 Referee of the Year plaudits from the Confederation of African Football.

"Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football," UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement. "Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination."

Artan arrived Saturday in Miami, where he was detained and ultimately sent back on a return flight to Istanbul. He would've been the first Somali referee to officiate in a World Cup.

"During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP's inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility," CBP said in a statement. "Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry."

Artan had previously officiated in two African Cup of Nations. A year ago, he took charge of his first major continental final, Leg 2 of the 2025 CAF Champions League final between Egypt's Pyramids FC and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in Cairo on June 1.

--Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media