WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.680
<v Speaker 1>Somali referee Omar Martin is set to make football history

2
00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.480
<v Speaker 1>when he takes charge of the twenty twenty six UEFA

3
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:10.919
<v Speaker 1>Super Cup in Salzburg, Austria. In a groundbreaking appointment for

4
00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:14.679
<v Speaker 1>European football, the thirty four year old official will become

5
00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:18.120
<v Speaker 1>the first non European referee to blow the whistle for

6
00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:23.120
<v Speaker 1>UEFA's annual showpiece, leading an all African officiating crew as

7
00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:27.120
<v Speaker 1>Champions League winners Paris Saint Germain take on Europa League

8
00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:31.679
<v Speaker 1>champion's Aston Villa. The landmark assignment follows a period of

9
00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:37.719
<v Speaker 1>immense personal heartbreak and high profile international controversy. Artin, who

10
00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:41.119
<v Speaker 1>was named CF's Male Referee of the Year after stellar

11
00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:47.000
<v Speaker 1>campaigns across continental competitions, was originally slated to represent Somalia

12
00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:51.920
<v Speaker 1>at the twenty twenty six FIFA World Cup in North America. However,

13
00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:55.880
<v Speaker 1>after arriving at Miami International Airport with a valid visa,

14
00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:00.799
<v Speaker 1>he was inexplicably denied entry by United States border authorities

15
00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:05.319
<v Speaker 1>due to unstated betting concerns. The decision forced FIFA to

16
00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:09.959
<v Speaker 1>exclude him from the tournament, sparking widespread backlash across the

17
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.640
<v Speaker 1>global football community. In a swift move to support the

18
00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:19.840
<v Speaker 1>referee and reinforce institutional cooperation. UEFA partnered with the Confederation

19
00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.200
<v Speaker 1>of African Football under a newly signed memorandum of understanding

20
00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:28.000
<v Speaker 1>to hand Artin the high profile Super Cup assignment. Just

21
00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:32.319
<v Speaker 1>days after his exclusion from the World Cup. UEFA President

22
00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:37.599
<v Speaker 1>Alexander Sefferin praised Artin's world class officiating record, framing the

23
00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:42.519
<v Speaker 1>appointment as a celebration of unity, equality and global excellence

24
00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:47.159
<v Speaker 1>in refereeing. Reflecting on the whirlwind summer, Arton described the

25
00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:51.680
<v Speaker 1>visa denial as a deeply challenging period, but emphasized his

26
00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:57.200
<v Speaker 1>gratitude for the overwhelming solidarity he received from fans, officials

27
00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:01.599
<v Speaker 1>and the global football community. Now preparing for his first

28
00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:06.040
<v Speaker 1>ever match on European soil, Artin expressed profound pride in

29
00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:10.680
<v Speaker 1>representing Somalia and inspiring the next generation of African match

30
00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:13.120
<v Speaker 1>officials on the sport's biggest stages