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Before the World Cup started in June, the 34-year-old referee unwittingly found himself in the media spotlight after being turned away on arrival at Miami International Airport, despite being part of the panel of referees selected by FIFA for the tournament.
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A US Department of State official told the AFP news agency that the referee was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations”, therefore “making the traveller ineligible for admission to the United States”.
These allegations were rejected by the referee and caused outrage in Somalia, where Artan had been welcomed as a hero on his return.
In response, UEFA, the governing body of European football, announced that Artan would referee the UEFA Super Cup, which pits Champions League winners PSG against the Europa League winners Aston Villa.
The first Somali to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024, Artan is now set to referee his first match in Europe.
To justify its decision to appoint Artan as referee for the Super Cup, UEFA pointed to the agreement it signed at the end of April with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to encourage cooperation between the two confederations.
But it is also a political gesture by UEFA, which is regularly critical of FIFA, and one that takes on even greater significance in light of the conflict that has pitted the European body against Infantino for the past two weeks, centring on the abandoned plan to open up the World Cup to private investors.
The plan’s failure was largely due to the revolt led by UEFA, which continues to wield the threat of a boycott of FIFA tournaments – including the World Cups – in an attempt to force Infantino to step down.
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Informação baseada em material público de Al Jazeera, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
