Barely three weeks after the World Cup final, the first trophy of the new European soccer season is up for grabs in the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg on Wednesday.The annual match between the most recent winners of the Champions League and Europa League also offers another chance for more grandstanding by UEFA at the expense of FIFA at a time of a growing disconnect between the two powerful soccer governing bodies in light of the recent conduct of Gianni Infantino.That’s because refereeing the game will be Omar Artan, the Somali referee who was barred by the United States from officiating at the World Cup days before the start of the tournament because of vetting concerns. U.S. officials claimed Artan had connections to terror organizations, though without providing proof.UEFA responded by picking Artan — a referee judged the best in Africa last season — to take charge of the Super Cup, a move that was widely celebrated in the soccer community and also was regarded as a clever political ploy by the European association.
The disharmony between UEFA and FIFA has increased since, with UEFA leading the campaign to oust Infantino from the FIFA presidency over his recent — aborted — plan to sell an interest in the World Cup.And so, the referee taking charge of the match is proving to be as interesting as the players involved, as PSG looks to become the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup, after Real Madrid (2016 and 2017).PSG beat Tottenham in a penalty shootout in last year’s match.
