Somali soccer referee Omar Artan is back on the big stage after he was denied entry to the United States in June. Artan was set to call matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but returned to his native country after being unable to join up with his fellow referees at their base in Miami.
Now, he is in Austria, set to officiate the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa. Artan, the 2025 CAF Men's Referee of the Year, will become the first non-European referee to oversee the UEFA Super Cup and has taken the opportunity as a chance to show he deserves to be calling matches at the highest level.
"I believe that if I can succeed, anyone can. You can do whatever you want to do. Don’t ever stop dreaming," Artan told UEFA's official site. "If you want to be a referee, it’s the best thing that you can do. So go after it and do it, and don’t stop, regardless of what happens and irrespective of people preventing you from doing your job.
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