Essam Abdel Fattah: Somali referee Omar Artan has applied to officiate in the Egyptian league.
Essam Abdel Fattah, head of the referees committee in Egypt, revealed that Somali referee Omar Artan is interested in officiating in the Egyptian Premier League for the current season 2026-2027.
The Somali referee was denied his dream of officiating at the 2026 World Cup after being barred from entering the United States upon his arrival at Miami Airport in June. He then received an immediate invitation from UEFA to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match, which ended with Paris Saint-Germain winning 2-1.
Essam Abdel Fattah: Omar Artan contacted me today
Essam Abdel Fattah stated in remarks to the "Captain" program, hosted by Ahmed Hassan on dmc channel: "Omar Artan contacted me today regarding his desire to officiate in the Egyptian Premier League."
He added: "Artan sent a formal request expressing his wish to settle in Egypt and officiate in the Egyptian Premier League, and of course, we welcome that. We will present the matter to the Board of the Egyptian Football Association, and if approved, he will be with us."
Essam Abdel Fattah concluded his remarks by saying: "Omar Artan is the best referee in Africa in recent times."
