Omar Artan Calls UEFA Super Cup His ‘World Cup’ After US Entry Block

Somalia’s Omar Artan has described refereeing the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa as his “World Cup”, after being prevented from travelling to the United States for the global tournament.

The 34-year-old referee was among the officials selected by FIFA to referee at the World Cup but was denied entry to the US when he arrived at Miami International Airport.

Following the incident, UEFA offered Artan the opportunity to take charge of Wednesday’s Super Cup in Salzburg, where PSG defeated Aston Villa 2-1.

Artan marked the occasion in a personal message written on the match ball, which UEFA displayed in a post on X on Thursday.

The ball carried the words: “This was my World Cup.”

UEFA described it as “A special Super Cup souvenir from Omar Artan.”

The referee also expressed his gratitude to UEFA and CAF through Instagram.

“Thanks to everyone who made this possible,” Artan wrote.

He particularly thanked UEFA “for giving me the trust and opportunity and who welcomed me (to) their continent with open arms.”

He added: “My own confederation, CAF, for the support and making this possible.”

Artan had been denied entry into the US despite his inclusion on FIFA’s list of World Cup referees.

A US State Department official told AFP at the time that the Somali official was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations”, and was therefore “ineligible for admission to the United States.”

Artan rejected the allegations, which generated anger in Somalia and led to him being celebrated as a hero upon his return.

UEFA said its decision to appoint the Somali official for the Super Cup was connected to a cooperation agreement signed with CAF in late April to promote closer collaboration between the two confederations.

The decision, however, has also been viewed against the backdrop of UEFA’s political tensions with FIFA.

UEFA has been increasingly critical of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, particularly over the now-abandoned proposal to open the World Cup to private investors.

The plan was derailed largely because of opposition led by UEFA. The European body continues to hold out the possibility of boycotting FIFA competitions, including World Cups, as it seeks to increase pressure on Infantino to step down.

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