Super Cup: PSG vs Aston Villa, UEFA vs FIFA and the Somali ref barred from the World Cup

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.

PSG’s players came back to preseason training in scattered order over the summer, largely depending on how long they played at the World Cup — or not at all in one noteworthy case.

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, who stood out for France with six goals and two assists, returned on Monday along with international teammates Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola. They were joined by Spain’s World Cup-winning midfielder Fabián Ruiz, whose clinical performance was key to the semifinal victory against France.

Star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia didn't play at the tournament because Georgia did not qualify, and has been back training for considerably longer. He looks certain to start in his favored position on the left flank, with new signing Maghnes Akliouche possibly on the right wing.

Akliouche’s arrival from Monaco could coincide with Barcola’s departure, with the fleet-footed winger — who scored three goals at the World Cup — heavily linked with a move to Premier League giant Liverpool.

Coach Luis Enrique’s team may also feature former Villa player Lucas Digne.

Villa sold Digne to PSG on Sunday for a reported free of 10 million euros ($11.6 million), returning the 33-year-old left back to one of his first clubs.

Digne was among the first signings when PSG began its new era after being bought by Qatari investors QSI.

He was born in the Paris suburbs and joined PSG in 2013 from Lille. He then represented Roma and Barcelona before spending eight years in the Premier League with Everton and Villa, where he played 182 games in total and was one of coach Unai Emery’s most consistent players.

There'll be a different look to Villa at the start of its fourth full season under Emery, a former PSG coach.

Departing over the summer were key midfielders Morgan Rogers to Chelsea and Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, along with Digne.

Among the new signings are Swiss World Cup star Johan Manzambi and Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes, who has joined from relegated Wolverhampton. Manzambi is missing because of a knee injury.

Villa won the Europa League by beating Freiburg 3-0 and in the final will be in the Champions League for the second time under Emery.

Artan, who oversaw the African Champions League final in 2025, is the first non-European to take charge of the Super Cup and said the honor comes after a “very tough period”.

“A lot of people have sympathy for me,” he told UEFA, “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.”

Artan said he had been undertaking lots of research on PSG and Villa for his first match in Europe.

“The standard in Europe is fantastic and the football they play is very, very good,” he said.

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FILE - UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, right, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino pose during the 48th UEFA congress in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

FILE - Referee Omar Artan, center, of Somalia, is confronted by players after calling a penalty kick during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)

FILE - Aston Villa's head coach Unai Emery smiles after the Europa League final soccer match between Freiburg and Aston Villa in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

FILE - PSG's head coach Luis Enrique celebrates after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, May 30, 2026. AP Photo/Armin Durgut, File)

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels renewed attacks Tuesday on government-controlled areas in Yemen as the violence threatened to reignite civil war and raised fears over new threats to regional shipping lanes.

Iran's foreign minister, meanwhile, underscored Tehran's stance against reopening the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. meets its conditions, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was demanding compensation from Iran “for all of the people that they have killed” in the past.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

The Houthi rebels attacked the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea and other areas of the country.

Yemen's military said the rebels targeted Mokha and the central province of Marib with missiles and drones but did not provide further details.

The Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout last week, killing dozens of government troops and civilians. They hit Mokha with missiles and drones over the weekend and killed at least seven people, including three troops, according to the Yemeni military.

Mokha is a main port under Yemen’s internationally recognized government and has been renovated to handle shipping to avoid the Houthi-held port of Hodeida.

The strikes were part of an escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait at Yemen's southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.

The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesperson, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of exploiting the ceasefire to tighten an air and sea blockade it imposed in 2015.

He said the Houthis are open for negotiations but any settlement must include lifting the blockade.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that the country had “astonished the whole world” in the war against the United States and Israel, proving “that it is a tough and invincible power.”

Iran has refused to back down on demands that the U.S. end its blockade of Iranian ports and fulfill other conditions before Tehran will consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran effectively closed the strait after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28. Attacks on the key waterway — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war — and uncertainty around its future have kept energy prices a major focus of U.S. politics ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Araghchi said on his Telegram channel that in a call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul late Monday, he had “emphasized that making the Strait of Hormuz secure requires an end to the United States’ aggressive actions and unlawful interventions, including the naval blockade and other violations of U.S. obligations.”

Wadephul said on X that he had emphasized “the Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened unconditionally ensuring free and safe navigation for all.”

Trump said in a social media post he was directing his negotiators to include “compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts.” That was after Iran demanded compensation for the devastation caused by U.S. and Israeli bombardment over the past five months.

Trump also claimed Monday in an Oval Office exchange with reporters that the U.S. has “100% control” of the Strait of Hormuz, but that the situation remains complex.

He said the U.S. Navy’s blockade is preventing Iran from selling its oil on the international market, effectively choking the Iranian economy.

“Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they’re broke,” Trump said.

In Syria, a court sentenced former President Bashar Assad along with his younger brother to death for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria’s 14-year conflict that left about half a million people dead.

Assad and his brother Maher, who fled to Russia after insurgents marched into Damascus in December 2014, were sentenced in absentia at the Fourth Criminal Court in the Syrian capital.

Houthi supporters chant slogans during a rally against the Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, center, is surrounded by security personnel as he walks in Najaf, Iraq, during Arbaeen commemorations, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

FILE - This image taken from video broadcast by Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled news channel, shows an explosion at the Sanaa International Airport compound during what the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said were several Saudi airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, July 13, 2026. (Al-Masirah TV via AP, File)

Houthi supporters attend a rally against the Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2010 file photo, Syria President Bashar al-Assad arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris for his meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)

Vehicles drive past a statue of a swinging boy at a square in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)