Africa’s top male referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been selected to officiate the the Union of European Football Associations – UEFA Super Cup final in August, 2026.

“We’re pleased to share that Somali referee Omar Artan will officiate the highly anticipated match between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg,” said the statement from UEFA.

The development comes after the Somali referee was selected to officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026, but was denied entry into US early this week and returned back home.

The European soccer body UEFA said Artan will referee the math on August 12th game between the Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, the Europa League winner. The game will be in Salzburg, Austria.

The European Soccer body said the decision to appoint Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match has been made in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between UEFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to encourage cooperation in many areas, including refereeing. “UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination,” said UEFA on their website.

On Wednesday Artan received a hero’s welcome back in Mogadishu, and also met the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Uganda International Viola Nambi Ssebunya has signed for Italian Serie A side Napoli Femminile

Nambi Ssebunya who was unveiled last week signed a two-year contract with the Naples based team that competes in the Italian Serie A Women League.

“I am very happy to join Napoli Femminile. I am ready to give my best in-order to help the team win titles,” says Nambi Ssebunya.

She previously played for Vaxjo DFF and Kalmar FF in the Swedish topflight league (Damallsvenskan) and Dornbirn Ladies in Austria. Nambi Ssebunya was part of the Uganda Crested Cranes squad at the 2022 Women’s Africa cup of Nations held in Morocco.

Ayubu Khalifah, one of the top women’s football coaches in Uganda says Ssebunya’s move is good for the player and Uganda.

“For her to play in a Women’s Serie A team means more exposure with competitive teams and also opening doors for other Ugandan women players,” added Khalifah.

The other Ugandan female players plying their trade with teams in Europe include; Phiona Nabbumba ( Boldklubben AF 1893, Denmark), Fauzia Najjemba (ZFK Dynamo Moscow, Russia), Ashiat Naluggwa ( Lindsey Wilson College, USA), Aisha Nantongo (Aalborg BK, Denmark) 2eqwaand Vanessa Karungi (FC Nordejælland) among others.

Tanzanian international Novatus Dismas Miroshi has joined newly promoted Turkish Super Lig side, Göztepe SK.

The midfielder who signed a 4-year contract for his new club was unveiled on Tuesday.  

“We are delighted to announce the signing of Novatus Miroshi on a four-year contract. We extend a warm welcome to Novatus Miroshi and wish him the best of luck in his journey with our glorious club,” said the Club.

Miroshi joins the Turkish side from Ukrainian team Shakhatar Donetsk where he had been on loan from Belgian side Zulte Waregem FC.

The Tanzanian International who has also featured in the UEFA Champions League while at Shakhtar Donetsk has a total of 22 appearances with Tanzania’s senior team, Taifa Stars. He was part of the Taifa Stars squad at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) early this year in Ivory Coast.

Last month another Taifa Stars player Kelvin Pius John joined another Danish side Aalborg BK after his contract expired at KRC Genk.

The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President have today inaugurated the Juba National Stadium.

Fifa under the FIFA Forward programme funded the refurbishment of the 7,500 seater Stadium based in the center of Juba Town.

Kiir and Infantino inaugurated the Stadium in-front of close to 5,000 people ahead of a FIFA World Cup qualifier match between South Sudan and Sudan, which the visitors later won 3-0 .

” We thank the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir and the government, and FIFA under the leadership of Infantino for  the support in seeing this dream come true to have this Stadium today that we are ready to start hosting international matches, ” Augustino Maduot Parek, the President of the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA).

FIFA President Infantino also thanked the government of South Sudan and the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) for the good work in developing Football. “This is a great occasion. It is a great opportunity to showcase South Sudan, to showcase the youth of this country, which has so much talent, and it’s our joint responsibility to give this talent an opportunity. Now, this talent, when it comes to football, has the opportunity to play in a brand-new national stadium, which FIFA has been contributing, but it has been a teamwork of all of us to build. And today, we have a beautiful jewel here in South Sudan,” added the FIFA President.

The other dignitaries who attended the inaugural ceremony included the FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström, Davis Ndayisenga, the Head of the FIFA Development Office in Kigali, CECAFA President Wallace Karia and his Executive Director John Auka Gecheo. The FA President of Ethiopia Esayas Jira also attended the function.

South Sudan was officially admitted as a CAF member on 10th, February 2012 at the 34th CAF Ordinary General Assembly hosted in Libreville, Gabon, and admitted as a FIFA member on 25th, May 2012 at the second session of the 62nd FIFA Congress hosted in Budapest, Hungary.