Somali international referee Omar Artan expressed his gratitude to the European Football Union "UEFA, after taking charge of the European Super Cup match, between Paris Saint-Germain and English Aston Villa.
Omar Artan confirmed his feeling of pride in managing the European Super Cup match, yesterday Wednesday, between Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League champion, and Aston Villa, the Europa League champion.
What did Omar Artan say after leading the European Super summit?
Omar Artan wrote on his official account on the "X" platform: "This was the World Cup for me, thank you to the European Football Union (UEFA), you have made my life better forever".
It was planned for the Somali referee to participate in managing the matches of the last 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
But Artan was prevented from entering the United States, and the authorities in the participating host country said that the Somali was linked to members suspected of belonging to terrorist organizations.
But the European Football Union "UEFA" decided to invite him to manage the European Super Cup match, to become the first referee from outside Europe to manage that major match.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated its counterpart Aston Villa with a score of 2-1, yesterday evening Wednesday, where Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue scored for the French team, while Brian Madjo scored for the Villans.
Omar Artan is considered the first Somali to manage the final of the African Champions League tournament, before receiving the award for the best referee on the continent, and then the doors of participation in the 2026 World Cup were opened to him, before he was prevented from obtaining a visa to enter America.
