Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup finals, has been denied entry to the United States.
Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year, was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport and is currently in Turkey.
No reason for Artan’s repatriation has been issued by US immigration authorities, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Artan is among the 52 referees announced by Fifa to officiate at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, which runs from 12 June to 19 July.
An official in the Somali national football league championships, Artan became a Fifa referee in 2018 and has officiated at the African Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Omar Artan was one of the seven African referees selected for the world cup. The others are: Pierre Ghislain Atcho (Gabon), Abongile Tom (South Africa), Dahane Beida (Mauritania), Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria), Amin Mohamed Omar (Egypt), Jalal Jayed (Morocco).
Somalia is one of the numerous African countries currently under a US visa ban following a crackdown by the Donald Trump administration.
