UEFA has appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup just days after he was denied entry into the United States and ruled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Artan, who was set to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, will take charge of the UEFA Super Cup clash between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League champions Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, on August 12.

Announcing the appointment on Thursday, UEFA said the decision followed discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) under a recently signed cooperation agreement between the two bodies.

The 34-year-old has been on FIFA’s international referees list since 2018 and was named CAF Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025. Among the biggest matches of his career was the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin praised the Somali official, describing him as one of the leading young referees in world 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,” Čeferin said.

“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.”

CAF President Patrice Motsepe also welcomed the decision, saying Artan had made Somalia and Africa proud through his achievements on the international stage.

“Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African continent extremely proud,” Motsepe said.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

The appointment comes amid continuing debate over Artan’s exclusion from the FIFA World Cup. The Somali referee was among the officials selected for the tournament but was denied entry at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid visa and FIFA accreditation.

Artan later revealed he underwent an 11-hour immigration interview before being detained and placed on a return flight. FIFA subsequently confirmed that he would be unable to officiate at the World Cup, making his case one of several controversies surrounding the tournament, alongside Iran’s complaints over revoked fan ticket allocations and visa-related concerns affecting participating nations.

Military-run Niger has enacted a new penal code criminalising for the first time same-sex relations, with heavy sentences of up to 20 years in prison, a legal source said Thursday quoting the official gazette.

Although a taboo subject, same-sex relations had not been criminalised in Muslim-majority Niger, which follows several other African nations in toughening their anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Under Niger’s new law, same-sex relations will be punishable by a jail term of between five and less than 10 years and a fine.

But “anyone who enters into marriage with a person of the same sex” faces 10 to 20 years imprisonment.

It stipulates the same sentence for “any person who manages, directs, operates, finances or participates in clubs, societies, organisations or associations for homosexuals or LGBTQIA+ people”.

The penal code reform was initiated under Niger’s previous civilian president Mohamed Bazoum under pressure from Muslim groups and lawmakers. Bazoum was overthrown in a coup in July 2023.

AFP

Crystal Palace will pay French club RC Lens €5 million ($5.8m) for their manager Pierre Sage, sources have told ESPN.

After days of negotiations between the two clubs, a deal was agreed in principle on Tuesday.

Sage, 47, had already agreed personal terms with the Conference League champions but he still had two years left on his contract at Lens.

Pierre Sage took Lens to French Cup glory in his only season at the club.

Joseph Oughourlian, the owner of the French Cup winners, was disappointed to see his head coach leave after just one season in charge but respected his desire to join the Premier League club.

Sage has had a rapid rise to the top in the last 2½ years after taking Lyon from the bottom of the table to contenders for the European places, before coaching Lens to their first ever French Cup trophy and second place in the table, pushing Paris Saint-Germain almost all the way in the title race.

The 47-year-old subsequently won the Ligue 1 Manager of the Season award.

He became the leading contender for the job after Palace failed to lure outgoing Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola to Selhurst Park. The Spaniard has since taken charge at Liverpool.

In January, departing manager Oliver Glasner confirmed his intention to leave the club after accusing chairman Steve Parish of abandoning him and his squad. The German has recently been linked with a move to AC Milan.

Palace will be looking to build on an unprecedented amount of success after Glasner led them to three trophies in 12 months, culminating with a Conference League final victory over Rayo Vallecano which will see the London club play in next season’s Europa League.