Kenyan assistant referee Stephen Yiembe has made history after being appointed to the officiating team for the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, becoming the first Kenyan match official selected to officiate in a UEFA competition.
The FIFA-accredited assistant referee will serve as the second assistant referee when UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain take on UEFA Europa League champions Aston Villa on August 12 in Salzburg.
The match will be officiated by Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, with Djibouti’s Liban Abdoulrazack Ahmed serving as the first assistant referee. Slovenia’s Rade Obrenovič has been named the fourth official, while Italy’s Marco Di Bello will handle Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties. Spain’s Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez has been appointed Assistant Video Assistant Referee.
Yiembe’s appointment is the latest milestone in a career that has seen him earn several high-profile international assignments.
In 2025, he was the only match official from the CECAFA region selected by FIFA to officiate at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. During the tournament, he took charge of several marquee matches, including Real Madrid’s clash with RB Salzburg and Inter Milan’s fixture against Urawa Red Diamonds.
Earlier this year, Yiembe was appointed Assistant VAR 2 for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal.
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His growing list of international assignments also includes the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. He made his Africa Cup of Nations debut during the 2023 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, where he was part of the officiating team for the group-stage match between Tunisia and Namibia.
Artan, who was denied entry into the United States to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, will lead the officiating team.
In a statement on Thursday, June 11, UEFA said Artan’s appointment followed consultations with the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF).
“Referee announced for 2026 SuperCup! We’re pleased to share that Somali referee Omar Artan will officiate the highly anticipated match between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg,” UEFA wrote in a statement.
