The rift between UEFA and FIFA is no secret to anyone. Lately, it has hardened into something you can see on the pitch, through refereeing decisions.
Aleksander Ceferin's European body laid the gap bare when it handed Somali referee Omar Artan the UEFA Super Cup on 12 August in Salzburg, pitting Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain against Europa League winners Aston Villa. The Parisians walked away with another trophy. FIFA, tellingly, had already left the same official out of the World Cup finals in the United States.
UEFA and its referees' committee, chaired by Roberto Rosetti, were not done there. They formally invited the African official to the season's first refereeing gathering, the meeting that brings Europe's elite whistlers together before the group stage of the Champions League and the other continental competitions kick off, according to Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo".
Geneva, the Swiss city that houses UEFA, hosts the evaluation gathering from 31 August to 2 September. The aim is to map out the broad principles and refereeing guidelines for the three European competitions: the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League.
Artan will join the sessions alongside 35 officials from the "elite" bracket, rated the best in Europe, plus 61 referees from the first category. His presence as a guest of honour is a striking move inside the corridors of European refereeing.