Kenyan assistant referee Stephen Eleazar Onyango Yiembe will make history on Wednesday when he takes charge of the line for the UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, becoming the first Kenyan match official to officiate in a UEFA competition.
Yiembe has been appointed Assistant Referee 2 for the prestigious fixture, which brings together UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League holders Aston Villa at Stadion Salzburg in Austria.
UEFA confirmed that the match will kick off at 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The appointment marks a significant milestone for Kenyan football officiating and places Yiembe on one of European club football’s most prominent annual stages.
He will form part of an officiating team led by Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, with Djibouti’s Liban Abdoulrazack Ahmed serving as Assistant Referee 1. UEFA’s official match information lists Yiembe as the second assistant referee.
The other members of the team are Slovenian fourth official Rade Obrenovič, Italian Video Assistant Referee Marco Di Bello and Spanish Assistant VAR Guillermo Cuadra Fernández.
Yiembe’s appointment also gives East African officiating a rare presence at the elite European level, with officials from Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya forming the on-field refereeing team for the showpiece.
Historic opportunity
Yiembe’s selection follows UEFA’s decision to appoint Artan as the referee for the final, opening the door for officials from the region to participate in a competition traditionally dominated by referees from European football associations.
Kenyan reports described Yiembe’s appointment as a landmark moment, with the official becoming the first Kenyan referee selected for a UEFA competition.
For Kenya, the appointment represents a notable breakthrough in international match officiating and provides Yiembe with an opportunity to operate at a level rarely reached by officials from the country.
The UEFA Super Cup is contested annually by the winners of the Champions League and Europa League. This year’s meeting pits defending European champions Paris Saint-Germain against an Aston Villa side that lifted the Europa League title.
UEFA confirmed that PSG won the 2026 Champions League, while Aston Villa secured the Europa League to earn their place in the Super Cup.
The match carries added significance for both clubs.
PSG arrive as Champions League winners and will seek to add another European trophy after their success in last year’s Super Cup. The French club also have the opportunity to reinforce their status as one of Europe’s leading sides.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, return to the Super Cup after winning the Europa League and are making only their second appearance in the competition. The English club’s previous Super Cup triumph came in 1982, when they defeated Barcelona over two legs.
Villa’s victory in the Europa League secured their return to the European showpiece more than four decades after their previous appearance, while PSG are seeking to retain the trophy after winning the 2025 edition.
The fixture is being staged at Salzburg’s Stadion Salzburg, also known as the Red Bull Arena, with the Austrian city hosting the Super Cup for the first time.
A wider milestone for East African officiating
Yiembe’s appointment alongside Artan and Ahmed gives the region an unusually prominent role in a major UEFA fixture.
Artan, who represents Somalia, will oversee the match from the centre, while Ahmed and Yiembe will operate on the touchlines. Their selection provides a rare opportunity for African match officials to demonstrate their capabilities in a high-profile European competition.
For Yiembe in particular, the assignment represents the culmination of a progression through international officiating and places his name in Kenyan football history.
The Kenyan official’s role will involve assisting Artan with decisions along the touchline, including determining offside situations and helping the referee with incidents occurring within his area of responsibility.
Behind the on-field team, VAR officials will provide additional support, with Italy’s Marco Di Bello operating the video review system and Spain’s Guillermo Cuadra Fernández serving as Assistant VAR.
With the eyes of European football focused on Salzburg, Yiembe will therefore carry more than the Kenyan flag onto the pitch. His appointment represents a breakthrough for Kenyan refereeing and another step in the growing visibility of East African officials on the international stage.
The Paris Saint-Germain-Aston Villa final is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Stadion Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria.
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