Дэлхийн аваргын тэмцээнд оролцох эрхээ хасуулсан Омар Артан Европын хөлбөмбөгийн томоохон тэмцээнд ажиллах болсондоо баяртай байгаагаа илэрхийллээ.
Сомалийн шүүгч Омар Артан Аваргуудын лигийн аварга Пари Сен-Жермен болон Европын лигийн аварга Астон Вилла багуудын хооронд болох УЕФА-гийн Супер цомын тоглолтыг дэнслэхээр болжээ. Австрийн Зальцбург хотноо лхагва гарагт болох энэхүү тоглолтыг шүүснээр Артан тус тэмцээнийг удирдсан анхны Европ тивээс бусад орны шүүгч болох юм. УЕФА түүнийг дэлхийн шилдэг шүүгчдийн нэг хэмээн тодорхойлж байна.
Өдгөө 34 настай шүүгч зуны Дэлхийн аваргын тэмцээнд ажиллах 52 шүүгчийн нэгээр сонгогдсон байсан ч зургаадугаар сарын 6-нд Майамигийн олон улсын нисэх онгоцны буудал дээр АНУ-д нэвтрэх эрхээ хасуулсан юм. АНУ-ын засаг захиргаа түүнийг “террорист байгууллагын гишүүдтэй холбоотой байж болзошгүй” хэмээн үзэж, улсдаа нэвтрүүлээгүй байна.
Энэхүү хүндрэлтэй үеийн талаар Артан ярихдаа, олон жил хөдөлмөрлөсөн зорилгоо биелүүлж чадаагүй нь хэцүү байсан ч дэлхий даяарх хүмүүсийн дэмжлэгт талархаж байгаагаа илэрхийлжээ. Тэрээр өөрийг нь ийм нэр хүндтэй тоглолтод сонгосонд баяртай байгаа бөгөөд Сомалийн нийгэмлэгүүд ч энэ үйл явдалд баяртай байгааг онцоллоо. Олон улсын хөлбөмбөгийн холбоо (FIFA) түүнд олгох ёстой тэмцээний төлбөрийг бүрэн олгосон байна.
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Somali referee Omar Artan said he is “really proud” to be officiating the UEFA Super Cup final after a “very tough period” that saw him barred from refereeing at this summer’s World Cup in North America.
Artan, 34, had been selected as one of 52 match officials for the tournament by FIFA, global football’s governing body, but was denied entry to the United States at Miami International Airport on June 6. The Trump administration claimed he had “association with suspected members of terror organizations.”
He was subsequently returned to Istanbul, Turkey, before heading back to Somalia. The Athletic reported that he would be paid his tournament fee in full by FIFA.
UEFA announced on June 11 that Artan would referee the Super Cup between Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League champions Aston Villa. The match will be held in Salzburg, Austria on Wednesday.
Artan is set to become the first non-European to officiate the game, with UEFA describing him as “one of the world’s top referees”.
Speaking prior to taking charge of the match, Artan said that he was thankful for the support that he received after being blocked from entering the U.S.
“It was a very tough period,” he said. “A lot of people have sympathy for me, because when someone has been working a lot of years and is supposed to do something, and then can’t do it, it’s very challenging. I really appreciate the support I received throughout the world, though; I’m so grateful.”
“I was lucky, but I have worked very hard to be here and I’m really proud. As you can imagine, I grew up in a difficult situation, but it didn’t prevent me from pursuing my dreams.”
“When we got this call it was, for me and my family, really a very, very happy moment. There’s a big Somali community in Europe and in Austria, and they are over the moon with me officiating a match like this.”
After being denied entry, Artan told the New York Times that he “had the right papers” and “the right visa” before traveling to the U.S. and he also had accreditation as a match official by FIFA.
When contacted by The Athletic, a senior administration official at the White House said: “The traveler was refused admission and given immigration forms that provide the section of law used to complete an expedited removal under 8235 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. President Trump’s administration will not allow any security threat to enter our country — full stop.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was also asked about the situation at the time.
“It’s true we are confronted with challenges we’d rather not confront.” he said. “We have to deal with them. Sometimes we can solve them, and sometimes we can’t.”
Regarding Artan specifically, Infantino said: “It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia. But again, we don’t control everything.”
